GM’s New Robotaxi Will Wear A Familiar Face

A little more than a month ago, General Motors pumped another $850 million into Cruise, its autonomous driving subsidiary. Now, GM CEO Mary Barra has told shareholders that the long-awaited Cruise Origin robotaxi that was meant to spearhead self-driving technology has been put on ice indefinitely after it was previously delayed in November last year. This does not represent a major change in GM’s goals for autonomous cars; the conglomerate still needs swarm data and real-world testing from robotaxis if it hopes to offer self-driving cars.

However, the vehicle with which Cruise will develop the technology will instead be the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV. This should help lower costs, but why not continue with a dedicated platform like Tesla and Rimac’s P3 Mobility have done? As it turns out, the Origin may have been flawed from the start, says Barra.

Is The Bolt Better?

Barra did not outline what the Origin’s design challenges were, but we can’t imagine that its slab-faced front end would have been a high-scorer in pedestrian impact tests. The hood of a car not only houses the engine but also aims to minimize injury to pedestrians, acting as a sort of landing spot with which the pedestrian’s fall can be cushioned. The IIHS has already determined that modern SUVs and trucks and their blocky front ends are deadlier to pedestrians than other vehicles, so it stands to reason that an even taller wall of a front end could be more dangerous.

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The next-gen Chevy Bolt is expected to debut next year, and although very little has yet been confirmed, we do not expect fundamental layout changes to the popular package. The appeal of the bite-sized Bolt lay mainly in its affordable cost of entry, and GM won’t want to mess with that. As a result, we expect the new model to draw plenty of inspiration from its predecessor, including in the shape of the body. Barra also notes that a Bolt-based robotaxi will be cheaper to produce than the Origin. Interestingly, rival robotaxi companies are also exploring somewhat traditional shapes for their creations.

Rimac And Tesla Are Building Hatch-Like AVs Too

According to recent reports, the Tesla Cybercab robotaxi has been delayed again, too, but whenever it does arrive, it will do so on its own platform, unlike the Cruise autonomous vehicle. Although a ground-up creation, a Tesla ad suggests the robotaxi will look relatively conventional from the outside, although the cabin will reportedly arrive without steering, throttle, and brake controls.

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Tesla Robotaxi Spied In Ad For Tesla Shareholders

A couple of quick glimpses may preview Tesla’s upcoming autonomous people mover.

Like the Cybercab, Rimac’s entry into the robotaxi space with P3 Mobility – the Verne hatchback – will have no traditional controls and will be built atop its own dedicated platform, but it too will have a more angular front end than the Origin robotaxi. Whatever the final Bolt-based product looks like, GM will first need to win over the people after Cruise vehicles were involved in collisions with emergency vehicles, street poles, and buses. There has even been evidence of an inability to detect children, but with human backups now monitoring robotaxis on public roads, such issues should be a thing of the past. Hopefully, the money saved by pursuing a shared platform for the Origin will lead to a greater rate of progress in the coming years.

GM CEO Mary Barra’s letter to shareholders:

“I also want to recognize the progress Cruise has made over the last several months. Our vision to transform mobility using autonomous technology is unchanged, and every mile traveled, and every simulation, brings us closer because Cruise is an AI-first company. As you know, Cruise has returned to the road in Houston, Phoenix and Dallas and we recently made several significant leadership appointments, including hiring Marc Whitten as CEO. Marc has decades of experience on the frontlines of technology transformations.”