General Motors (GM) has decided to suspend its plans for the Cruise Origin self-driving vehicle to concentrate on developing a next-generation autonomous vehicle, as stated in the company’s Q2 2024 letter to shareholders. This decision follows the initial halt of the Origin’s production last year.
Kyle Vogt, former CEO and co-founder of Cruise, expressed his disappointment on X, formerly known as Twitter, regarding the decision. “Disappointed to see GM kill the Origin,” Vogt wrote.
See also: GM to Infuse $850 Million into Cruise for Resumed Self-Driving Tests
Disappointed to see GM kill the Origin. 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… pic.twitter.com/GDlL4KQk4S
— Kyle Vogt (@kvogt) July 23, 2024
GM’s letter outlined the strategic shift, noting, “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.”
The Cruise Origin project was initially paused in November following an incident involving one of its robotaxis that resulted in a pedestrian being pinned. This incident led to the revocation of Cruise’s self-driving permit, Vogt’s resignation, and subsequent organizational challenges, including the resignation of fellow co-founder Daniel Kan and layoffs affecting nearly a quarter of the staff.
See also: GM’s Cruise Names Former Xbox Engineer as New CEO Amid Regulatory Challenges
Since then, GM has been reevaluating its approach to the autonomous vehicle market. The company has announced a significant reduction in Cruise’s budget, cutting it by half for the year, and pledged to increase transparency under new leadership. In May, GM resumed testing human-driven Cruise vehicles in several cities, including Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas.
Vogt has since founded a new robotics venture, The Bot Company, alongside former Cruise Technical Advisor Luke Holoubek and ex-Tesla Tech Lead and AI Manager Paril Jain.
