GM’s Cruise Puts Its Origin Robotaxi on Hold

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Key Takeaways

  • Cruise is pausing its Origin robotaxi.
  • The company will base its next driverless car on the new Chevy Bolt instead.
  • The GM brand has struggled with collisions and leadership shuffles.

GM has revealed that its Cruise division has put its Origin self-driving taxi on hold as it switches focus for its next-generation car.

The team will instead base the new robotaxi on the revived Chevy Bolt. The strategy will help address “regulatory uncertainties” around the Origin’s design and significantly lower costs, GM said.

The automaker didn’t say if or when Cruise would resume work on the Origin. The new Bolt is due in 2025 and will use GM’s Ultium platform using lithium-ion phosphate batteries to keep the price down.

The Origin was unveiled at the start of 2020. It was effectively an autonomous shuttle with no controls an interior designed around space and social interaction. Cruise also said the robotaxi would have advanced sensors that could help it navigate in bad weather. It was meant to be constantly on the road, making it viable for commuters that wanted to avoid car ownership and mass transit.

The pandemic didn’t help Origin development, but Cruise has faced other challenges as well, including multiple collisions. Most notably, a pedestrian collision in October 2023 led the company to take its cars off the road for months. Leadership also left the company, with Xbox veteran Marc Whitten becoming CEO on July 16th.

Cruise has gradually returned its cars to the road in Dallas, Houston, and Phoenix, but it’s still in a fragile position and received $850 million from GM to handle operational costs. The switch from the Origin to the new Bolt could make the most of Cruise’s limited resources and save GM from investing more than necessary.

GM made the announcement as part of strong second quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations. It made $.4 billion in pre-tax profit, and noted that its EV lineup was “scaling well” with encouraging sales. It was particularly hopeful for the Equinox EV due to its combination of a relatively low price with strong range and technology.