Cruise, the GM autonomous car division that garnered attention last year when its license was suspended following a collision with a pedestrian, has scrapped its high-profile Origin robotaxi project. Unlike Cruise’s current lineup of self-driving cabs, which are modified Chevy Bolts, Origin was a purpose-built box-shaped robotaxi with no steering wheels or pedals, and front and rear seats that face each other. GM CEO Mary Barra cited “regulatory uncertainty” over that design as central to the decision to cancel it.
Cruise will instead focus on making autonomous versions of the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt, due out in 2025. “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,” Barra wrote in a letter to shareholders. “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.”
Before the accident that brought everything crashing down last fall, Cruise’s cabs had already hit the headlines for getting stranded in fog and smashing into buses. A woman was struck and then dragged by one of the robotaxis in San Francisco, leading California’s DMV to revoke the company’s right to test autonomous vehicles in the state. Cruise paused operations nationally and the Origin project at the same time, but has since returned to the streets in Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston. The cabs are currently only operating under the supervision of human drivers and are not carrying paying passengers. GM hopes to resume driverless operations once it has conducted more tests and regained the trust of regulators.
Cruise co-founder Kyle Vogt, who resigned as CEO in November after criticism of his handling of the October accident, expressed disappointment over the cancellation of the project. “Disappointed to see GM kill the Origin,” Vogt wrote on X. “Would have been amazing for cities. GM repeatedly finds themselves with a 5-10 year head start, but then fumbles the ball, shuts things down, and loses the lead. Anyone remember the EV1? It’s like someone keeps letting them look into a crystal ball and then they just go, ‘nah, we’re good.’”
Elon Musk, boss of Tesla, which has delayed the launch of its own robotaxi, suggested GM wasn’t being honest about the reasons for parking Origin. “Well, obviously, the real reason that they canceled it is because GM can’t make it work, not because of regulators,” Benzinga reports Musk telling investors on an earnings call. “That’s misleading of them to do so, because Waymo is doing just fine in those markets. So it’s just that their technology is not at par.”
