GM's Maven car-sharing service leaving 8 cities but not Detroit

General Motors Co.'s Maven urban mobility brand is curtailing offerings and exiting more than half of the cities where it's currently operating, including major markets like Chicago and New York.

Closing the Chicago hub leaves Detroit and Ann Arbor as the only two Midwest cities where Maven operates. All told, Maven will exit eight of the 17 North American cities where it's currently operating, a GM spokeswoman said.

"We’re shifting Maven’s offerings to concentrate on markets in which we have the strongest current demand and growth potential," GM said in a statement. "We are pleased to share that we’ll continue providing Maven Car Sharing and Maven Gig for our members in Detroit, which is an important market for us. "

The downsizing for one of GM's first transportation service startups comes as the Detroit automaker is executing a global restructuring that includes cutting 15% of its salaried workforce, 25% of its global executives and stopping production at five North American plants. GM's restructuring is designed to cut costs and divert capital toward expensive autonomy, electrification and mobility efforts.

The move by Maven follows the closure of Ford Motor Co.'s Chariot shuttle service earlier this year.

Maven's leadership changed earlier this year when vice president-level executive Julia Steyn left the company. Her departure was not part of GM's larger workforce downsizing. Steyn was replaced in February by Sigal Cordeiro, who previously served as executive director of global product marketing.

GM launched its Maven car-sharing service in January 2016 as the company's "personal mobility brand." Since then it has expanded its offerings to include Maven Gig for rideshare and delivery drivers, peer-to-peer sharing for owners of under-used vehicles and a university campus program.

As Maven reassesses its footprint, the car-sharing service is shifting focus to Maven Gig and peer-to-peer sharing, for which the GM spokeswoman said there is still significant demand and room for growth. Maven still plans to eventually expand its peer-to-peer sharing service to non-GM vehicles, she said.

nnaughton@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @NoraNaughton