Owners of GM vehicles will be able to rent them to other drivers

General Motors will reportedly launch a pilot program this summer in which car owners can rent out their vehicles when they aren't using them, similar to how home-sharing site Airbnb works. The program, done in concert with GM's Maven car-sharing platform, is the latest step in the company's attempt to position itself as a mobility provider.

Bloomberg reports that GM will try to grow the pilot program into a full-fledged business if successful. Under the pilot program, owners of GM vehicles can use the Maven platform to rent their vehicles to other drivers who need to use a car, with the revenue shared between the owner and GM.

Maven already rents vehicles to users starting at $8 an hour plus tax using a mobile app. But the new service would give GM access to more vehicles that it doesn't have to carry on its balance sheet.

GM introduced Maven in early 2016 as a key part of its mobility strategy after it acquired assets of defunct ride-share service Sidecar and invested $500 million in Lyft. It has since expanded into ride-sharing services by launching its own Maven Gig leasing business, in which it provides GM vehicles to ride-sharing drivers who previously leased them through Lyft Express Drive or Uber Vehicle Solutions. It is also offering on-demand delivery services for packages, groceries and meals.

With the new peer-to-peer car sharing service, Maven would join the likes of startups Turo and Getaround, which have respectively attracted investments from the likes of Daimler AG and Toyota, according to Bloomberg. Maven recently announced expansions into the cities of Austin, Texas, and Toronto.