Chrysler Brand and Kango Announce First-of-its-kind Family Rideshare Service Partnership

• Partnership is first-of-its-kind partnership between an automaker and family rideshare service for children ages preschool to high school
• Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to be provided for lease to eligible drivers for Kango, the California-based family rideshare service, in San Francisco beginning in fall 2017
• Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans will outfit Kango drivers with branded vehicles featuring state-of-the-art plug-in safety and technology features
• The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is the first electrified vehicle in the minivan segment and achieves 84 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in electric-only mode and 33 miles of all-electric range
• Kango is the safe and dependable ride service that helps parents get their kids where they need to go, when they're not able to do so themselves

The Chrysler brand and Kango, an app-based, on-demand service providing safe, reliable rides and childcare for kids from preschool to high school, today announced a new partnership that will make available new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans for use by eligible Kango drivers. In this first-of-a-kind partnership between a family rideshare service and an automaker in the U.S., the Chrysler brand will make a fleet of new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans available to eligible Kango drivers, for an affordable lease, to promote safety and environmental stewardship and to provide a best-in-class ride.

The California-based Kango will deploy the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vehicles in San Francisco beginning in fall 2017. The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans will be used by Kango's pre-screened, trusted drivers to transport riders in the San Francisco Bay area.

"Kango is excited to partner with Chrysler to make its new Pacifica Hybrid minivans available to our eligible drivers," said Sara Schaer, CEO of Kango. "In addition to being a green vehicle with the best mileage of any minivan, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid will help us meet the growing demand for shared carpool rides for groups of kids going places. Drivers save money on gas. Kids are delighted with the minivan's kid-friendly features. It's a win for everyone."

"Parents and children today are busier than ever and often need to be in multiple places at one time. The Chrysler brand is focused on providing transportation solutions for families to make their lives easier," said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. "The Chrysler Pacifica is the ultimate family vehicle, and with the addition of the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, it's now the most fuel-efficient family vehicle. Together with Kango, we will make it easier for parents to manage conflicting priorities at work with the knowledge that their kids are being transported to their activities in a safe environment."

Kango and Chrysler brand are providing families with top of the line safety, technology, comfort, and service for the benefit and enjoyment of Kango's regular customers. Kango's drivers and caregivers all have previous childcare experience. They are Trustline-certified, fingerprinted, background checked, DMV record-checked and screened in person, leading Kango to win "Best Uber for Kids" in San Francisco magazine's 2017 Best of San Francisco awards. In addition, Kango is the only service insured to drive children of any age, providing car seats, as well as booster seats. It is also the only kids' ridesharing service that performs both same-day and pre-scheduled rides, seven days a week, and allows families to meet a driver or sitter beforehand if desired.

The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is America's first-ever hybrid minivan, and along with its eco-friendly electric range and best-in-class MPG, comes equipped with 100-plus safety and security features, giving parents peace of mind. In addition to safety, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is kid-friendly, providing the largest dual touchscreens of any family car, offering built-in games and apps with the available Uconnect Theater.

The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans are also perfect for multi-family carpools – a common scenario, as Kango drivers can do multiple pickups and/or multiple drop-offs in the same ride. For example, Kango can pick up neighboring kids and bring them to school in the morning, or pick up several kids from an afterschool activity and drop them off at their respective homes.

"Overall, Kango is so excited to be working with Chrysler to delight our customers with a best-in-class ride experience, and to advance the future of safe, environmentally friendly transportation for families," Schaer said.

About Kango

Kango was founded by CEO and Silicon Valley startup veteran Sara Schaer and her business partner and Kango CTO Kaliyuga Sivakumar, to meet the critical need for safe on-demand and scheduled rides and childcare services for busy families. Since launching its Rides and Care service in late 2015, Kango has provided thousands of rides for kids of all ages, parents and nannies included, across six counties in the San Francisco Bay area. The service has over 250 screened drivers.

For more information, please visit Kango on the web at www.kangoapp.co. As seen in Inc, Forbes, TechCrunch, Paste, PYMNTS, First for Women, Working Mother, Huffington Post, Tech.Co, US News & World Report and more.

About the Chrysler Pacifica and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid

The new Chrysler Pacifica reinvents the minivan segment with an unprecedented level of functionality, versatility, technology and bold styling. Re-engineered from the ground up on an all-new platform, the Pacifica delivers class-leading gasoline and hybrid powertrains to the minivan segment. Equipped with more than 100 available safety and security features, the Uconnect Theater rear seat entertainment system, and a full array of comfort and convenience technologies, the Chrysler Pacifica is a no-compromises minivan ideally suited for today's families and has earned its spot as the most awarded minivan of 2016 and 2017. 

The Pacifica Hybrid takes this revolutionary vehicle a step further with its class-exclusive, innovative hybrid powertrain. It's the first electrified vehicle in the minivan segment and achieves 84 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in electric-only mode and 33 miles of all-electric range. The Pacifica Hybrid has all the same great features available in the gas model along with the Uconnect Theater rear seat entertainment system. 

About Chrysler Brand

The Chrysler brand has delighted customers with distinctive designs, craftsmanship, intuitive innovation and technology all at an extraordinary value since the company was founded in 1925. 

Whether it is the family-room-on-wheels functionality of the all-new Chrysler Pacifica minivan, the groundbreaking, bold design of the Chrysler 300, or the simple elegance and extraordinary driving experience of the Chrysler 200, Chrysler brand vehicles reward the passion, creativity and sense of accomplishment of its owners. Beyond just exceptionally designed vehicles, the Chrysler brand has incorporated thoughtful features into all of its products, such as the innovative center console with pass through storage and sliding cup holders in the Chrysler 200, the industry-exclusive Stow 'n Go seating and storage system on the Chrysler Pacifica and the fuel-saving Fuel Saver Technology in the Chrysler 300. 

The Chrysler brand's succession of innovative product introductions continues to solidify the brand's standing as the leader in design, engineering and value. The premium for the Chrysler brand is in the product, not the price.

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SOURCE FCA US LLC

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