--FILE--View of a logo of BMW in Nanning city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 15 November 2018. Traditional car companies, with BMW Group at the forefront, are looking to take over the Chinese online-based high-end taxi market to offer luxury vehicles with chauffeurs to Chinese consumers. BMW has launched a fleet of 200 units of BMW 5-Series long-wheelbase sedans with full-time drivers in the southwestern city of Chengdu, some half of which are hybrid vehicles, the Munich-based firm said in a press release on Dec. 14. The company will adapt its product offering to target tourists staying in five-star hotels, as well as conference visitors. The new fleet will extend the services of BMW's and Chinese car-sharer EVCard's ReachNow platform which put 100 BMW i3s on the streets of Chengdu for time-sharing in December last year. After opening a Chengdu unit called BMW Mobility Service in April, the German firm got a license to operate a taxi platform as the first foreign-funded car company in China last month.
