StattAuto
A pioneering German car-sharing company that operated in Berlin, Hamburg and other cities before becoming Greenwheels AG in 2005.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
StattAuto was a German car-sharing company headquartered in Berlin and one of the earliest organized car-sharing operators in the world. Its origins went back to 1988, when the initiative began with a single privately owned car. The enterprise was legally established as a limited liability company in 1990, making it an early example of a mobility business built around shared access to vehicles rather than individual ownership. It is described as the first car-sharing corporation in Germany and the second such corporation worldwide. The company initially developed around Berlin and later expanded its organizational and service footprint. In 1992, a related company, StattAuto Hamburger CarSharing GmbH, was incorporated in Hamburg. The Berlin and Hamburg operations were combined in 1998, creating a public limited company with almost 1,400 shareholders. Many of those shareholders were active customers, reflecting the cooperative and user-oriented character of the early car-sharing movement. Instead of relying solely on conventional investor ownership, the company connected its capital structure with the people who used its mobility service. A major strategic step came in December 2001, when StattAuto became Deutsche Bahn's first cooperation partner for car sharing. It received the exclusive right to distribute and operate the new DB CarSharing trademark in Berlin and Hamburg. The arrangement linked car sharing with rail travel and positioned the company within a broader intermodal-transport model. Rather than presenting shared cars as a complete substitute for public transport, StattAuto promoted them as a complementary option for trips that were inconvenient by rail or bus. By 2004, StattAuto offered services in Berlin, Hamburg, Potsdam and Rostock. The same year, Collect Car B.V., the Netherlands' largest and most successful car-sharing company at the time, acquired a majority of StattAuto's shares. Collect Car was better known through its Greenwheels trademark. The transaction connected StattAuto with an established international car-sharing operator and prepared the way for a brand transition. In 2005, StattAuto/Greenwheels introduced a more compact and transparent tariff structure in Germany. The previous StattAuto tariff was no longer offered to new customers after June of that year. The company also emphasized agreements with three regional public-transport authorities: Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg, Hamburger Verkehrsverbund and Verkehrsverbund Warnow in the Rostock area. Customers holding eligible public-transport subscription tickets could use StattAuto/Greenwheels vehicles without a deposit or monthly fee, strengthening the connection between transit subscriptions and shared-car access. The company’s stated mobility concept was based on combining public transport with car sharing as an economical and ecological approach to urban transportation. StattAuto also participated in the German Association of CarSharing, known as Bundesverband CarSharing, a sector organization representing car-sharing companies and advocating improved political and operating conditions for the industry. The StattAuto name ultimately disappeared as a corporate identity. In 2005, after Greenwheels had increased its ownership to 98.5 percent, the shareholder assembly approved changing the company name from StattAuto CarSharing AG to Greenwheels AG. The change marked the end of StattAuto as an independent brand while preserving the underlying car-sharing business within the Greenwheels organization.
History
StattAuto emerged from an early German car-sharing initiative that began in 1988 with one privately owned vehicle. The organization was formally incorporated as a limited liability company in 1990. Its early development made it a significant pioneer in the German car-sharing sector and an international early mover in shared mobility. A Hamburg affiliate, StattAuto Hamburger CarSharing GmbH, was incorporated in 1992. In 1998, the Berlin and Hamburg companies united and formed a public limited company. The new organization had nearly 1,400 shareholders, many of whom were customers actively using the service. This structure reflected the community-oriented origins of car sharing and gave users a direct connection to the company’s ownership base. In December 2001, StattAuto entered into a significant partnership with Deutsche Bahn. It became the railway company's first cooperation partner for car sharing and obtained exclusive rights to distribute and operate the DB CarSharing trademark in Berlin and Hamburg. The partnership helped establish shared cars as part of a wider public-transport system rather than as a stand-alone vehicle-rental product. The service expanded to Berlin, Hamburg, Potsdam and Rostock by 2004. That year, Collect Car B.V. acquired a majority of StattAuto's shares. Collect Car was the Dutch company behind the Greenwheels brand. The acquisition gave StattAuto access to a larger cross-border car-sharing group while reducing its independence as a separate corporate identity. During 2005, StattAuto/Greenwheels revised its German pricing model, introducing a compact and transparent tariff structure. The previous StattAuto tariff was no longer available to new customers after June. The company also highlighted agreements with the public-transport associations VBB, HVV and VVW. Under these arrangements, eligible public-transport subscribers could use shared cars without a deposit or monthly charge, reinforcing the idea that car sharing could fill gaps in rail and bus networks. StattAuto was also a member of Bundesverband CarSharing, the German industry association representing car-sharing operators. The company promoted the combination of public transport and shared cars as an economical and environmentally preferable mobility model for urban areas. The final corporate transition occurred in December 2005. By then, Greenwheels' owner held 98.5 percent of StattAuto's shares. The shareholder assembly approved the renaming of StattAuto CarSharing AG as Greenwheels AG. This ended StattAuto's existence as an independent corporate brand and transferred its business identity into Greenwheels.
- 2005
Tariff system is redesigned
[1]StattAuto/Greenwheels introduced a more transparent and compact tariff structure, while the former StattAuto tariff was closed to new customers.
- 2005
Corporate name changes to Greenwheels AG
[1]After Greenwheels' owner reached 98.5 percent ownership, shareholders approved the change from StattAuto CarSharing AG to Greenwheels AG.
- 2004
Service reaches four German cities
[1]StattAuto operated car-sharing services in Berlin, Hamburg, Potsdam and Rostock.
- 2004
Greenwheels owner takes majority stake
[1]Collect Car B.V., known for its Greenwheels trademark, acquired a majority of StattAuto shares.
- 2001
Deutsche Bahn partnership begins
[1]StattAuto became Deutsche Bahn's first car-sharing cooperation partner and operated DB CarSharing in Berlin and Hamburg.
- 1998
Berlin and Hamburg operations unite
[1]The two StattAuto companies combined and formed a public limited company with nearly 1,400 shareholders.
- 1992
Hamburg affiliate incorporated
[1]StattAuto Hamburger CarSharing GmbH was incorporated in Hamburg.
- 1990
StattAuto is legally established
[1]StattAuto was formally founded as a limited liability company in Germany.
- 1988
Car-sharing initiative begins
[1]The initiative that became StattAuto began with one privately owned car.
Products and positioning
Urban car sharing positioned as a practical complement to rail and public transport, with emphasis on economical, ecological and integrated mobility.
Car sharing
StattAuto car-sharing service
StattAuto provided access to shared passenger cars for members in urban locations. The service was designed to provide occasional access to a vehicle without requiring customers to own one, and it developed alongside public-transport networks in German cities.
Integrated mobility service · 2001
DB CarSharing
Under its 2001 cooperation with Deutsche Bahn, StattAuto exclusively distributed and operated the DB CarSharing trademark in Berlin and Hamburg. The offering connected shared cars with rail travel and represented an early form of intermodal mobility.
Transit-linked car sharing · 2005
StattAuto/Greenwheels public-transport integration
Agreements with VBB, HVV and VVW enabled eligible public-transport subscription holders to use StattAuto/Greenwheels vehicles without a deposit or monthly fee. The model sought to combine scheduled public transport with flexible access to cars.
Brand decisions
2005
Replace the former tariff with a compact tariff structurePrice changeBackground
StattAuto/Greenwheels sought to make German car-sharing prices more transparent and simpler for customers.
Action taken
The company introduced a new compact tariff structure. The former StattAuto tariff was no longer offered to new customers from June 2005.
Aftermath
The pricing change accompanied the broader transition from the StattAuto identity to Greenwheels.
2005
Change the corporate name to Greenwheels AGStrategyBackground
Greenwheels' owner held 98.5 percent of StattAuto's shares after acquiring a majority stake in 2004.
Action taken
The shareholder assembly approved changing the name from StattAuto CarSharing AG to Greenwheels AG.
Aftermath
StattAuto ceased to operate as an independent corporate brand and was absorbed into the Greenwheels identity.
2004
Accept majority investment from Collect Car B.V.M&ABackground
StattAuto operated in several German cities while Collect Car B.V. was expanding its Greenwheels car-sharing business.
Action taken
Collect Car B.V. acquired a majority of StattAuto's shares.
Aftermath
The transaction placed StattAuto within the Greenwheels group and led to a later corporate name change.
2001
Enter a strategic partnership with Deutsche BahnStrategyBackground
StattAuto sought to position car sharing as a complement to rail and public transport rather than as a conventional rental service.
Action taken
The company became Deutsche Bahn's first car-sharing cooperation partner and received exclusive DB CarSharing distribution and operating rights in Berlin and Hamburg.
Aftermath
The partnership strengthened StattAuto's role in integrated urban mobility and connected its service with Germany's national rail network.
Recent events
- 2005
StattAuto introduces a new German tariff structure[1]
Pricing
StattAuto/Greenwheels introduced a more transparent and compact tariff structure. The former StattAuto tariff was closed to new customers from June 2005.
- 2005
StattAuto name changed to Greenwheels AG[1]
M&A · Leadership change
After Greenwheels' owner increased its stake to 98.5 percent, the shareholder assembly approved changing the corporate name from StattAuto CarSharing AG to Greenwheels AG.
- 2004
StattAuto expands service to four German cities[1]
Other
The company reported car-sharing operations in Berlin, Hamburg, Potsdam and Rostock.
- 2004
Greenwheels owner acquires majority of StattAuto[1]
M&A
Collect Car B.V., operating under the Greenwheels trademark, purchased a majority stake in StattAuto and began integrating the German company into its wider car-sharing business.
- 2001
StattAuto becomes Deutsche Bahn's first car-sharing cooperation partner[1]
M&A · Other
StattAuto received the exclusive right to distribute and operate the DB CarSharing trademark in Berlin and Hamburg, linking the company with Deutsche Bahn's rail-based mobility network.
Sources1 sources
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