American legacy automaker General Motors has finally confirmed plans to ditch the Cruise Origin self-driving vehicle to focus on a next-gen electric car.
GM scraps futuristic robotaxi for more practical self-driving Chevys
On Tuesday, GM announced in its Q2 2024 Letter to Shareholders that it would halt the Cruise Origin self-driving vehicle project after ending production of the robotaxi last year.
As part of the new strategy, GM now aims to replace the Origin with its next-gen Chevrolet Bolt to accelerate rollout and lower costs.
Former Cruise Chief Executive and Co-Founder Kyle Vogt expressed his disappointment with GM’s decision to “kill the Origin.”
“Disappointed to see GM kill the Origin. Would have been amazing for cities.
GM repeatedly finds themselves with a 5-10 year head start, but then fumbles the ball, shuts things down, and loses the lead. Anyone remember the EV1?
It’s like someone keeps letting them look into a crystal ball and then they just go, ‘nah, we’re good'”
Kyle Vogt, Former Cruise Chief Executive and Co-Founder stated in an X post
Cruise Origin’s turnaround
GM paused the Cruise Origin’s production in November 2023 after a high-profile accident that involved one of its robotaxis, which left a pedestrian pinned in the prior month.
After the accident, Californian regulators suspended Cruise’s self-driving permit, and former CEO Kyle Vogt resigned. These challenges prompted GM to spend significant time figuring out how it can relaunch Cruise’s driverless ride-hailing service.
Regulatory hurdles and operational challenges
In the Q2 2024 Letter to Shareholders, GM explained that its decision to ditch the Cruise Origin is primarily due to the regulatory hurdles and operational challenges brought on by its distinctive design.
“The Cruise team will also simplify their path to scale by focusing their next autonomous vehicle on the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt, instead of the Origin. This addresses the regulatory uncertainty we faced with the Origin because of its unique design.”
General Motors
In addition, the move will also apparently help GM’s self-driving car unit reduce costs per unit and further “optimize its resources.”
It would be interesting to see how the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EVs can aid GM in relaunching Cruise’s driverless ride-hailing service in the US.
