Back in January of 2020, General Motors pulled the sheets on Cruise Origin, the automaker’s very first fully autonomous vehicle. Now, the first batch of pre-production vehicles are being built.
According to Cruise CEO Dan Ammann, nearly a hundred pre-production Cruise Origin AVs will be built at GM’s Pre-Production Operations center, with the vehicles set to be used as part of an “intensive testing and validation process this summer.” Looking ahead, tens of thousands of units will be produced at the GM Factory Zero plant (formerly known as Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly) in Michigan, with the four-million-square-foot facility currently undergoing upgrades to build the autonomous Cruise Origin. Full series production is expected in 2022 or 2023.
“Personally, the citizen in me is extremely optimistic about the positive impact we’re going to make on the world,” Ammann writes. “The kid in me just thinks the Origins are insanely cool. And the business geek in me gets to marvel at cutting edge technology meeting major manufacturing scale, brought together by an amazing team, powerful partners and extensive resources.”
Cruise recently received a $5 billion line of credit from GM Financial, the automaker’s financial services arm, to expand the company’s fleet and scale up over the next several years. The fresh cash infusion brings the Cruise war chest up to a healthy $10 billion.
“$10 billion. It’s a big number,” Ammann writes. “However, when you think about what we’re building — safer, cleaner, and more accessible transportation for the world — you quickly realize it’s also a necessary number.”
The California Public Utilities Commission also recently approved an application that allows Cruise to begin offering rides, launching the first pilot program to provide fully autonomous passenger services to the public.
Cruise Origin is approximately the same size as a traditional crossover, with two opposing bench seats inside the passenger space, and an all-electric powertrain for motivation.
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Comments
It’s really happening… For GM long term investors this is huge news, this transportation business could be worth more than GM’s entire manufacturing business someday.
I think Musk needs some of these for his tunnel… Much more convenient to hop in and out of than a typical car.
What a colossal waste of time and money. I have absolutely ZERO interest in riding in a bread box like this and I don’t know anyone who is.
Tigger,
I think, among other things, this takes the place of the shuttle bus/van that currently takes you from the airport terminal to the car rental hub. I think I’d rather be in a frequently arriving/departing Origin than the buses that haul 20 or so people and have to wait around for a full load. That’s how I’m seeing it; a continuous stream of driverless Origins shuttling folks around at the airport. I think you’ll also see them take the place of the golf carts that currently shuttle 2-5 passengers with an old retired guy at the wheel for events like golf tournaments. In those scenarios, I don’t care if it looks like a bread box as long as it gets me where I need to be quickly and efficiently.
I know gm is promoting them as a autonomous taxi that’ll roam city streets but I would expect them to initially be quite successful and become accepted by ferrying folks around in a more closed setting such a a ballpark or the aforementioned airport, golf course or similar settings. With time and acceptance, they’ll likely replace inner city taxis.
so for the foreseeable future, we might get marginally improved shuttles? wooo hooo!!!!
I hope you are right and I can see this as a viable scenario. But for those who think that this mode of transportation will replace personal transportation now or ever, definitely not for me!
This is like your UBER ride, you go on the app, and this shows up to pick you up… I love it, easy to get in an out, even with luggage, and they will even have TV inside to watch while you ride.
To take something from Seinfeld on this car “What could possibly go wrong?” This is like a Kramer, Newman venture, that ends up being flawed and failing in some shape or form. This is going to be that scenario.
The Origin and especially its programming is complex. Perhaps nothing has ever been so complex. It could be a glorious failure. I, very much, want it to be an incredible success.
Not everyone is like us in that we can jump in our cars and drive where and when we want. For elderly, disabled and like my wife who is blind, this could be a life changer.