Read the full story on The Auto Wire
As the race in the auto industry for autonomous vehicle tech heats up, GM is once again undoing what it recently did. We’re talking of course about the disbanding of its Cruise robotaxi division and the letting go of talent dedicated to the project.
Tesla gets the approval to offer robotaxi rides throughout Texas.
That move was made early this year, yet GM is reversing the decision, at least in part. If you’ve paid attention for the past two decades or so, this sort of thing is just the way GM does business and it’s stupidly senseless.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, GM isn’t looking to revive Cruise, even though robotaxi services are becoming red hot as the Trump administration seeks to lift restrictions which have been holding back their spread.
Instead, sources inside the automaker claim the company is looking to rehire at least some of the old Cruise employees who were let go just months ago. The aim is to develop more private vehicle autonomous tech, pushing for SAE Level 5 autonomy.
The effort is being spearheaded by GM’s officers in Mountain View, California, right in the orbit of Silicon Valley.
GM has been openly pushing for more AV tech in its consumer cars, beyond the Super Cruise used in certain Cadillacs. In fact, when asked by Bloomberg about its operating driverless cars in the Bay Area, a representative for the automaker admitted that’s exactly what’s going on with the aim of developing Level 5 AVs.
GM, for whatever reason, doesn’t want to get involved in the robotaxi industry again. It might have to do with Cruise being involved in a serious crash, then allegedly falsifying a report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That could leave quite the bitter aftertaste for executives.
Image via GM
Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook.
Comments