GM Gives Up On Cruise Origin and Pivots to Chevy Bolt EUV for Autonomous Taxi Service

by Chris Teague

Published: July 23rd, 2024

gm gives up on cruise origin and pivots to chevy bolt euv for autonomous taxi service

General Motors’ Cruise autonomous division has had its ups and downs in recent years, though it has seen more of the downs than anything else. It recently announced the decision to stop the development of the Origin, an autonomous pod-like vehicle the company initially planned to release in the “tens of thousands.”

GM cited regulatory issues relating to the vehicle’s lack of a steering wheel or pedals, as well as its unique interior seating configuration. The Origin project began in 2020 with a partnership between GM and Honda, but the effort lost steam, and the automaker cut production in November 2023 after its Bolt EV autonomous taxis ran into several issues during testing.

Now, Cruise plans to use the Chevy Bolt EUV in place of the Origin, relying on a vehicle that has already passed safety hurdles. GM CEO Mary Barra said, “The Cruise team will also simplify their path to scale by focusing their next autonomous vehicle on the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt, instead of the Origin. This addresses the regulatory uncertainty we faced with the Origin because of its unique design. In addition, per-unit costs will be much lower, which will help Cruise optimize its resources.”

Cruise had a difficult 2023, with California pulling its testing permits after high-profile crashes and an injured pedestrian. The company has since deployed vehicles in other cities, including Dallas and Phoenix, but the vehicles’ autonomous driving tech has been disabled.

[Images: GM, Shutterstock]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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4 of 24 comments

ToolGuy on Jul 23, 2024
"began in 2020 with a partnership between GM and Honda" 👉️ Well there's your problem.

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- Fred on Jul 24, 2024
  Indeed. The 2024 Honda Prolouge is built by GM in Mexico.
  
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Syke on Jul 24, 2024
I still wonder my basic question when it comes to self-driving vehicles: Why aren't we putting our effort into self-driving only on limited access/Interstate highways first? The heck with using it with city traffic. Save the initial effort into getting it working 100% in controlled traffic situations, then eventually work into an urban scenario. Admittedly, there's a lot of personal bias here: The only place I've got an interest in self-driving cars is on my periodic multi-state long distance trips which are 98% on the Interstate system.

1 Reply
- Master Baiter on Jul 24, 2024
  Agreed. Self driving will never work until there are dedicated roads where all the vehicles are networked and running some sort of coordinated self-driving operating system.
  
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