Image Source: Pixabay

Key Takeaways

• General Motors resumes testing Cruise EVs to improve Super Cruise driver-assistance features.
• The pivot follows Cruise’s shutdown after a safety incident and $8 billion in investments.
• Repurposed vehicles are now being tested on highways with human drivers and new branding.
• The move reflects a broader trend of scaling back autonomy ambitions for practical gains.

General Motors is breathing new life into its once-promising Cruise autonomous vehicle unit by repurposing its electric fleet for internal testing.

After halting Cruise operations in December 2023, General Motors has quietly restarted trials with a limited number of Cruise Bolt EVs on highways in Michigan, Texas, and California’s Bay Area. These vehicles, previously intended for robotaxi deployment, are now part of a scaled-down initiative aimed at enhancing General Motors’ driver-assistance systems, particularly its Super Cruise technology.

The test vehicles have undergone subtle rebranding, with some spotted bearing the name “Mint” on the hood and no visible Cruise logos. Each car is operated by trained drivers and outfitted with lidar sensors and other advanced tech.

Importantly, no members of the public are involved in these tests. General Motors is signaling that it’s not abandoning autonomous vehicle technology altogether, but rather repurposing it for more grounded and consumer-friendly applications.

Safety Setback Spurs Strategic Realignment

Cruise’s shutdown followed a high-profile incident in San Francisco, where one of its vehicles struck a pedestrian. The backlash led General Motors CEO Mary Barra to concede that the robotaxi venture had become too costly and a distraction from General Motors’ core business goals.

The automaker had invested over $8 billion in Cruise since acquiring a majority stake in 2016, making the project one of the company’s most expensive moonshots.

The pivot away from full autonomy marks a sobering recalibration in the company's innovation roadmap. It underscores the reality that the journey to true self-driving vehicles is longer and more complex than many had anticipated. General Motors’ decision reflects a broader industry pattern where lofty ambitions have given way to more incremental gains through semi-autonomous features.

Cruise Tech Finds New Purpose in Super Cruise

Rather than writing off its investment, General Motors is now channeling Cruise’s technological advancements into Super Cruise, its premium hands-free driving system.

Already available in some General Motors models, Super Cruise covers over 400,000 miles of compatible roads and is used by roughly 60% of drivers whose vehicles are equipped with it. The repurposed Cruise fleet will help General Motors refine the system’s capabilities, potentially making it more competitive with rivals like Tesla’s Autopilot or Ford’s BlueCruise.

Analysts believe this strategic redirection may yield better financial outcomes. While the U.S. robotaxi market could eventually scale to 35,000 vehicles and $7 billion in revenue, General Motors’ enhanced Super Cruise system is projected to generate $2 billion annually within the next five years. That makes it a safer and more predictable bet for investors and consumers alike.

From Futurama to Reality Check

General Motors’ fascination with autonomous driving goes back nearly a century, famously showcased in its 1939 Futurama exhibit that imagined automated highways. Today’s scaled-back ambitions echo a familiar cycle in tech development: from high-flying dreams to grounded implementations.

While full autonomy remains elusive due to regulatory, safety, and technological challenges, General Motors’ latest move demonstrates how even “failed” projects can drive innovation in other directions.

The reimagining of Cruise’s assets reflects a deeper industry lesson. Bold experiments may falter, but the technologies they leave behind often find new life in other applications. For General Motors, the future of mobility might not be fully autonomous  but it’s still moving forward.

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