GM Halts Robotaxi 'Origin,' Shifts Focus to Autonomous Chevy Bolt Amid $583M Charge and Market Impact
July 24, 2024General Motors has decided to halt the development of its custom robotaxi vehicle 'Origin' in favor of pursuing a new version of the Chevy Bolt, resulting in a $583M charge and a stock market impact.
GM's Cruise unit shifts focus to developing a next-generation Chevrolet Bolt for autonomous driving instead of the Origin vehicle without human controls.
Cruise's decision to shift to Chevy Bolts comes after public incidents and regulatory issues in California, leading to a significant operating loss of $1.14 billion in the second quarter.
The switch to Chevy Bolts is aimed at simplifying the path to scale due to their cost-effectiveness and lack of regulatory hurdles for being driverless.
Cruise will transition to a modified version of the redesigned Bolt for future autonomous vehicle production, expected to be more cost-effective than the Origin.
The company will shift its focus to using a modified version of the Chevy Bolt EV, which will enter production next year.
The upcoming next-generation Bolt, set for 2025, will now be central to Cruise's future plans.
The Cruise Origin, with unique features like subway-like doors and campfire seating, is now on hold indefinitely with uncertain prospects for future development.
GM's self-driving car subsidiary Cruise is abandoning plans for the Origin robotaxi and will use the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt instead.
Despite challenges and investigations following an accident involving a Cruise robotaxi, GM's Cruise unit continues testing with human safety drivers and has hired a new CEO.
Cruise resumes testing in select cities with manual driving mode, introduces a new CEO, Marc Whitten, and reports reduced expenses but still faces operating losses.
The next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV will be more cost-effective per unit compared to the Origin and will utilize the Ultium battery platform.
Summary based on 8 sources
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Sources
Forbes • Jul 23, 2024
GM’s Cruise Kills Its Custom ‘Origin’ Robotaxi But It’s Not All BadTechCrunch • Jul 23, 2024
GM’s Cruise abandons Origin robotaxi, takes $583 million charge | TechCrunchThe Verge • Jul 23, 2024
GM ditches Cruise’s custom-designed driverless carArs Technica • Jul 23, 2024
The Cruise Origin driverless pod is dead, GM tells investors