GM Wants To Bring Super Cruise Self-Driving Technology To Urban Roads
General Motors has taken full control of Cruise LLC—shifting its focus away from robotaxis to integrating autonomous technology into personal vehicles.
In December GM announced it would be halting funding for Cruise’s robotaxi program after it failed to recover from a high-profile incident involving one of its vehicles striking a pedestrian.
With the acquisition complete, GM plans to incorporate Cruise’s autonomous driving technology into its Super Cruise system, which currently enables hands-free highway driving on 750,000 miles of roads across North America. Super Cruise is available on more than 20 GM models across its brand portfolios—the company now aims to expand its capabilities to include urban environments.
Fully integrating Cruise into GM will come with significant layoffs. Cruise confirmed that 50% of its workforce will be cut, which will amount to roughly 1,000 jobs.
By repurposing Cruise’s technology for consumer vehicles instead of ride-hailing services, GM is betting that semi-autonomous features for private ownership will be a more viable path forward. The industry as a whole seems to be recalibrating as several automakers and tech firms have struggled to make large-scale robotaxi operations profitable.
The automaker forecasts that autonomous features in privately owned vehicles could generate billions in annual revenue under a monthly or annual subscription fee to access the features.
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An experienced automotive storyteller and accomplished photographer known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge—he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR race cars, ziptied Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars back together, been over the wall during the Rolex 24, and worked in the intense world of IndyCar.
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