GM Completes Acquisition of Cruise, Shifts Focus to Personal Autonomous Vehicles
General Motors (GM) has finalized the full acquisition of Cruise, its autonomous technology subsidiary. The move aligns with GM's strategic focus on developing autonomous technology for personal vehicles rather than robotaxis.
GM plans to integrate Cruise technology into its Super Cruise system, which enables hands-free driving on over 750,000 miles of roads in North America and is available on 20+ GM vehicle models.
The acquisition follows GM's decision in December to cease funding for Cruise's robotaxi operations. Cruise has experienced challenges, including a serious pedestrian injury caused by one of its robotaxis.
The merger will result in a 50% reduction in Cruise's staff, with the total number of affected employees remaining undisclosed. GM and Cruise teams will collaborate on expanding Super Cruise's capabilities in urban environments.
Dave Richardson, GM's Senior Vice President of Software and Services Engineering, emphasized the move's potential to accelerate the development of both assisted-driving and autonomous driving technologies.