GM halts production of Cruise Origin robotaxi due to suspension of drone operations in the US
GM
Cruise, a GM company, is suspending production of its specially designed Origin robotaxi. This is due to the shutdown of operations and tighter regulatory scrutiny.
Here's What We Know
The decision comes after California authorities banned Cruise from operating drones. The reason was an incident where a robotaxi hit a pedestrian after colliding with a human-operated car.
Cruise has suspended operations in all cities including Phoenix, Austin and Miami to restore public trust. The Origin production shutdown was announced by Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt at a meeting with employees.
GM has said it will complete production of a small number of pre-commercial Origin samples and then suspend production. Nevertheless, the company believes autonomous cars will transform transport in the future.
Cruise had previously planned to begin mass production of Origin soon, but the necessary approvals have not yet been obtained. Due to the stoppage of the project, layoffs in the company are possible.
Go Deeper:
- Waymo and Cruise have received approval for 24-hour paid robotaxi rides in San Francisco
- In San Francisco, a car hit a pedestrian and threw him under the wheels of a Cruise robot car
- California bans Cruise drone testing after crashes and allegations of data hiding
- Cruise suspends robotaxi operations in the US after losing its licence in California
Source: TechCrunch