Matt Hannah’s Post

General Motors retreats from robotaxis. General Motors is reducing its #robotaxi business amid high costs and increased competition. This follows GM's Cruise unit's recent announcement to resume testing autonomous vehicles in California and a partnership with Uber three months prior. The rollout was delayed after a 2023 incident where a #Cruise vehicle injured a pedestrian, leading to halted testing and legal issues. GM plans to merge the Cruise and #GM technical teams to focus on driver assistance systems, with reports indicating that staff were "blindsided" by this decision. #zoox #waymo #autonomousdriving #autonomousvehicles #autoindustry

General Motors (GM) says it will cease efforts to develop a fleet of autonomous robotaxis, shifting its focus to driver-assistance technology for privately owned vehicles. The choice to exit an increasingly competitive and resource-intensive market is a considerable pivot for the auto giant. It shows the company has recalibrated its focus to concentrate on improving near-term driver assistance over the costly and uncertain full autonomy of the future. The robotaxi initiative was spearheaded by Cruise, a majority-owned subsidiary of GM. While Cruise had been a pioneer in self-driving technology, the company faced mounting challenges, including regulatory setbacks and escalating costs. GM estimated that scaling a robotaxi business would require more than $10 billion in additional investment. By redirecting resources, the automaker expects to save $1 billion annually. More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors #GeneralMotors #AutonomousVehicles #DriverAssistance #CruiseAutomation #AutomotiveIndustry #SelfDrivingCars #ElectricVehicles #TechBytes http://ow.ly/9V0h105Ri59

Cruise, General Motors’ ambitious foray into autonomous vehicles, has officially shut down after a significant #investment of $7.6 billion, marking a dramatic shift in the company’s approach to self-driving #technology. This decision, driven by a combination of high operational costs, scandals, and GM’s re-evaluation of the business model, highlights the challenges that even major corporations face when attempting to revolutionize industries like transportation. https://lnkd.in/e9ryZa8X

Cruise is no longer going your way. General Motors is pulling the plug on Cruise robotaxis and will focus on Super Cruise and personal autonomous vehicles. The decision comes at a time when the robotaxi space has gotten competitive, and rival Waymo pulls ahead. And, with Tesla announcing its own robotaxi fleet, GM saw the writing on the wall. GM gets real, and it's worse than a bad paint job for Cruise. The automaker has recently doubled down on electric vehicles, and by refocusing Cruise on personal vehicles could use the self-driving, driver assistance technology advances with consumer vehicles. Estimates that further investment in Cruise as a robotaxi service would run upwards of $10 billion certainly made the decision to abandon those ambitions much easier to swallow. Of course, GM has other options with Cruise including integrating it into one of its divisions or shutting the company in general. Cruise's first-mover advantage hit a wall. The company was forced to suspend its robotaxi service in October 2023 after a series of incidents, including collisions and regulatory disputes, which led to the revocation of permits necessary for operating a ride-hailing service in California. That not only hurt its reputation, but allowed rivals such as Waymo catch up and surpass Cruise For passengers who enjoy using robotaxis, Waymo will soon be joined by other companies including Wayve and Zoox. The competition is heating up, and GM made the important decision to cut its losses https://lnkd.in/giNepXhQ #generalmotors #cruise #robotaxi #autonomousvehicles #automotive #selfdriving #innovation

GM’s Shift: A New Direction for Autonomous Driving Big changes are happening at General Motors! The company is stepping back from robotaxi development to focus on something closer to home—autonomous technology for personal vehicles. This move is about creating smarter, safer, and more convenient driving experiences while staying efficient with resources. Here’s what stood out to me: 1. Customer-Centric Focus: Instead of robotaxis, GM is betting on personal autonomy as the future of transportation. 2. Smart Cost Management: By refocusing efforts, GM plans to save over $1 billion annually by 2025. 3. Vision for Growth: Combining Cruise’s expertise with GM’s scale and manufacturing power positions them to lead in personal vehicle autonomy. Let’s discuss: 1. Does this shift reflect what the European market needs—a stronger focus on personal vehicles over shared mobility solutions? 2. How can European automakers navigate this trend while balancing innovation and cost-efficiency? What do you think—is this the right call for GM and the industry? #AutonomousDriving #FutureOfMobility #Innovation #AutomotiveIndustry #Leadership #EuropeMarket

General Motors has announced that it will stop funding the development of the Cruise self-driving taxi. The company says it will now "refocus autonomous driving development on personal vehicles". GM also pointed to the increasingly competitive robotaxi market as a reason for the move. https://lnkd.in/dyWmHYjv #autonomousvehicles #generalmotors #usa

An interesting read from Nick Gibbs for Autocar, detailing how key players including Tesla, GM and VW remain committed to delivering fully autonomous ‘robotaxi’ tech. This comment from Mary Barra, CEO of Cruise, the Automated Vehicle division of General Motors, is particularly thought-provoking: “Our target now, instead of being better than an average driver, is to be better than a role-model driver.” The notion of system competency and where to set the bar has been central to the global debate around the safe adoption of automated tech. In the UK, the Government spoke of self-driving vehicles achieving a level of safety “at least as high as careful and competent human drivers.” ‘To err is to be human’, and while automated systems have yet to match the human brain’s capacity for making thousands of potentially life or death micro-decisions during every journey, automated systems could bring a level of consistency that removes some of the day-to-day risks drivers face on our roads. While we agree with the Government’s performance benchmark, there is significant research required to define what that looks like in reality. Regardless of the defined safety standards in regulation, the ultimate judge will be the public, who must feel safe in choosing to use these systems as driver or passenger. The regulatory environment, insurance, and technology developers must all work together to ensure that the societal benefit is understood, therefore enabling consumer engagement. #NickGibbs #Autocar #MaryBarra #Cruise

General Motors halts Cruise #robotaxi development; focuses on personal autonomous vehicles GM intends to combine the majority-owned #Cruise and #GM technical teams into a single entity to advance autonomous and assisted driving but will no longer fund Cruise’s robotaxi development work. Mary Barra, chair and CEO of GM, said “Cruise has been an early innovator in autonomy, and the deeper integration of our teams, paired with GM’s strong brands, scale and manufacturing strength, will help advance our vision for the future of transportation.” “As the largest US #automotive manufacturer, we’re fully committed to autonomous driving and excited to bring GM customers its benefits – things like enhanced safety, improved traffic flow, increased accessibility, and reduced driver stress,” said David Richardson, senior vice president of software and services engineering, General Motors. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/d2Ku8Z89 #Automotive #AutomotiveTesting #Engineering #AutomotiveIndustry #AutomotiveEngineering #Mobility #Technology #Transportation #AutoTestMag #AutoTestExpo #AutoTestNovi #AutoTestEurope #AutoTestIndia #AutoTestChina #AutoTestKorea #ukimediaevents

#DisruptiveTech 🟢 General Motors said Tuesday it will no longer fund the development of a commercial robotaxi business and will instead absorb its self-driving car subsidiary Cruise and combine it with the automaker’s own efforts to develop driver assistance features — and eventually fully autonomous personal vehicles. According to reports, Cruise employees were ‘blindsided’ by GM’s plan to end the robotaxi program, learning through a Slack message folowed by a 'short and unsatisfactory' all-hands meeting. The pivot is a remarkable step for the automaker, which acquired the self-driving startup Cruise in March 2016 for $1 billion. Since then, GM has spent more than $10 billion on the company in a bid to commercialize autonomous vehicle technology via a robotaxi business. GM said in a statement that “the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market” were the reasons for the change. GM said it expects the restructuring to lower spending by more than $1 billion annually after the proposed plan is completed, which is expected in the first half of 2025. Efficiency and embracing an incremental approach to autonomy lies at the center of the pivot. Dave Richardson, Senior Vice President of Software and Services Engineering at GM will be a key driver of the change. The aim is to bring AV technology into millions of GM vehicles. “The best way to do this is with a singular strategy that prioritizes the incremental delivery of autonomous capabilities,” he said in a conference call with reporters. #cav #autonomous #robotaxis #autonomousvehicles #gm Campaign Catapult, Pravo Consulting

General Motors halts Cruise #robotaxi development; focuses on personal autonomous vehicles GM intends to combine the majority-owned #Cruise and #GM technical teams into a single entity to advance autonomous and assisted driving but will no longer fund Cruise’s robotaxi development work. Mary Barra, chair and CEO of GM, said “Cruise has been an early innovator in autonomy, and the deeper integration of our teams, paired with GM’s strong brands, scale and manufacturing strength, will help advance our vision for the future of transportation.” “As the largest US #automotive manufacturer, we’re fully committed to autonomous driving and excited to bring GM customers its benefits – things like enhanced safety, improved traffic flow, increased accessibility, and reduced driver stress,” said David Richardson, senior vice president of software and services engineering, General Motors. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dADrWqGJ #AutonomousVehicles #AV #SelfDriving #ADAS #AutonomousDriving #Automotive #AutomotiveIndustry #Transportation #Technology #FutureMobility #Sustainability #AVTExpoStuttgart #AVTExpoCA #ukimediaevents