*By Carlo Versano*
Avis Budget Group [announced](https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/avis-budget-group-fleet-expands-to-100-000-connected-cars-benefitting-customers-cities-and-the-company-bottom-line-1027453677) this week it has 100,000 connected cars in its global fleet, a milestone that the chief innovation officer said shows the company best-known for airport rentals is poised to become a next-generation mobility provider.
The car rental company that vows "We Try Harder" also announced recently it's adding Waymo, Lyft, and Airbnb to its slate of partners.
The expansion is all part of a strategic effort to appeal to Avis's customers who increasingly view mobility and transportation as a service, said the CIO Arthur Orduna.
"We need to understand how people want to consume their mobility," Orduna said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar.
He said he's divided future Avis customers into two camps: urban commuters, attracted to the company's on-demand services like Zipcar; and travelers who need access to rentals to get around a new place.
The main priorities for building a company that can service both types of customers, he said, are connected cars and the Avis app.
The ability to communicate with a vehicle creates a better experience for users ー finding and unlocking one's car via the app, for example ー Orduna said.
The app also helps Avis to streamline its fleet operations, and, as connected cars produce data on their own movements, Avis can use that data to partner with other companies and smart cities, "based on a digital ecosystem," Orduna said.
Avis, which operates in 11,000 locations in 180 countries, is also betting that the future of mobility means autonomy.
"AV \[autonomous vehicles]\ is not a matter of if ー it's really a matter of when," Orduna said.
To that end, Avis's partnership with Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car unit, offers short-distance rides to a select group of residents in Arizona, where Waymo is testing its technology. This is in addition to an earlier deal for Avis to service Waymo's autonomous fleet.
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjIyMjI=).
Ford said it will ramp up production for its Mustang Mach-E as demand for the electric vehicle surges. The automaker expects to sell upwards of 200,000 annually by 2023.
Mina Makar, senior vice president of respiratory and immunology, Astrazeneca, joined Cheddar to discuss the FDA's decision to give emergency use authorization to the pharma giant's COVID-19 antibody treatment called Evusheld for immunocompromised patients For about 2 percent of the U.S. Makar noted that the injection is supposed to provide antibody protection for those who can't generate their own adequate immune response via the vaccines for a minimum of six months, though long-term trials are underway.
The pandemic has forced corporate America to reshape itself to adapt, including onboarding doctors as chief medical officers to help maintain the health and safety of staff. Dr. Geeta Nayyar, chief medical officer at Salesforce, joined Cheddar to break down her role and how it has become relevant and necessary in the evolving workplace. "Every business today is now in the business of healthcare," she said. "It is a priority to empower employees to then serve your customers."
Sustainable consumer products maker Grove Collaborative is gearing up to launch an IPO via a SPAC merger with Richard Branson's Virgin Group Acquisition Corp II. Stuart Landesberg, CEO and co-founder of Grove Collaborative, talked to Cheddar's Kristen Scholer about going public through the merger and aligning with a partner he felt also prioritizes climate. "What this partnership will mean is that we're able to expand the assortment and innovations that we bring to market in products that work just as well as the conventionals and market leaders but have a significantly different environmental profile," Landesberg said.
Cuy Sheffield, head of crypto at Visa, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about Visa's commitment and the partnerships the company has established to make crypto a conventional form of currency. He noted that banks are becoming more receptive to digital currency as their customers move portions of money to crypto platforms and also explained steps Visa is taking to make them more climate conscious.
Many brands and industries are announcing their predictions for new trends to watch in 2022. According to Forbes, cooking robots and plant-based meat are just some of the many food trends that are expected to dominate. Jeff Crivello, CEO of BBQ Holdings, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
Boxed, an e-commerce grocery platform that sells bulk consumables to businesses and household customers, began trading under the ticket symbol "BOXD" after completing a transaction with SPAC Seven Oaks Acquisition. Chieh Huang, co-founder and CEO of Boxed joins Cheddar News to talk about the company's growth.
Live music took a big hit last year, and many artists had to cancel or postpone their tours to 2022. Many partnered with the graphic novel company Z2 Comics to make money by creating unique comic book stories. Josh Bernstein, executive vice president of Z2 Comics, and Sridhar Reddy, founder and publisher at Z2 Comics, join Cheddar News to talk about the company's popularity.
Employees at a Buffalo, NY, area Starbucks voted to establish a union due to ongoing staffing issues, demands for higher pay, and complaints about non-functioning equipment. The development could clear the path for other locations across the country to unionize.
Caleb Silver, Investopedia Editor-in-Chief, joined Cheddar to break down Lululemon's Q3 earnings beat. Men's sales drove revenue up over the quarter, a key area that the company would want to grow, Silver said. He also noted that its $500 million acquisition of at-home fitness startup company Mirror could be a detriment for the company with its sales outlook slashed as more people head back into physical gyms and supply chain disruptions continue.
