Jul 24, 2024 19:00:00

GM and Honda have decided to discontinue development of the autonomous robot taxi 'Cruise Origin'

Cruise , a self-driving car manufacturer under General Motors (GM), was developing a six-seater self-driving car called Cruise Origin in collaboration with Honda. However, on July 23, 2024, GM announced that it would discontinue development of Cruise Origin.

Q2 2024 Letter to Shareholders | General Motors Company
https://investor.gm.com/news-releases/news-release-details/q2-2024-letter-shareholders

Cruise Scraps 'Origin' Robotaxi, Will Stick With an Old Favorite Instead | PCMag

https://www.pcmag.com/news/cruise-scraps-origin-robotaxi-will-stick-with-an-old-favorite-instead

GM shelves the autonomous Cruise Origin shuttle van
https://www.engadget.com/gm-shelves-the-autonomous-cruise-origin-shuttle-van-144256801.html

The Cruise Origin , announced in 2020, was being developed in collaboration with Honda with the aim of starting operation as a robotaxi from 2026. Test runs of the Japanese version of the Cruise Origin are scheduled for September 2022.

Self-driving vehicle 'Cruise Origin' Japan-oriented vehicle begins test run - YouTube


The fully autonomous Cruise Origin does not have a driver's seat with steering or braking, and taxi passengers sit facing each other. However, at the time of writing, vehicles without steering or brake pedals are not permitted in the United States, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a rule in 2022 stating that 'face-to-face seats cannot be approved from the perspective of occupant protection standards.'

In addition, Cruise Origin is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per vehicle, and the development of Cruise Origin would be a major burden for Cruise, which has been ordered to immediately suspend its vehicle deployment and driverless driving test permits in California following a traffic accident between a robotaxi and a pedestrian in October 2023.

California immediately suspends Cruise's self-driving vehicle deployment and driverless testing permits - GIGAZINE

According to the overseas media The Verge, Cruise, which suffered a major blow from being banned from deploying vehicles and driving tests, suffered losses of several billion dollars (several hundred billion yen). In addition, GM's second quarter 2024 financial report states , 'Cruise voluntarily suspended its autonomous driving operations in the United States, and delays in the development of Cruise Origin have cost Cruise employees approximately $583 million (approximately 90 billion yen) to restructure.' In addition, it has been reported that GM provided Cruise with $850 million (approximately 130 billion yen) to cover Cruise's operating expenses.

In response to this situation, GM reported on July 23, 2024 that 'Cruise will choose the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV , not Cruise Origin, as its future self-driving vehicles, simplifying its path to scale-up.' Regarding the discontinuation of Cruise Origin's development, GM said, 'Cruise will be able to address the regulations it faced due to Cruise Origin's unique design. It will also significantly reduce the cost per unit, allowing Cruise to optimize its resources.'