General Motors has announced that it’s acquiring the startup company Cruise Automation to help in the development of autonomous vehicles. Cruise will be part of GM’s Autonomous vehicle development Team led by Doug Parks.
Cruise will remain an independent unit within GM and will continue to be based out of San Francisco after the acquisition. Founded in 2013, Cruise Automation began selling aftermarket systems that can be installed on late-model vehicles to allow them to go into an autonomous driving mode. The system uses radar sensors mounted on the roof and other detection hardware that relay signals to in-car actuators that control brakes, steering, and throttle.
“GM’s commitment to autonomous vehicles is inspiring, deliberate, and completely in line with our vision to make transportation safer and more accessible,” said Kyle Vogt, who founded Cruise Automation with Daniel Kan. “We are excited to be partnering with GM and believe this is a ground-breaking and necessary step toward rapidly commercializing autonomous vehicle technology.”
Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president for global product development, said “Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team.”
GM also partnered with Lyft to create a network of on-demand autonomous vehicles across the U.S. The automaker will spend $500 million to grow Lyft, have a seat on the company’s board of directors, and be the preferred provider of short-term vehicles for the ride-sharing service. GM also launched Maven, a personal mobility initiative aimed at bolstering car and ride-sharing efforts.
SOURCE: Motortrend