General Motors Ends Funding for Cruise Autonomous Taxi Division
General Motors officially stops funding its self-driving subsidiary Cruise, shifting focus away from autonomous robotaxis to advanced driver assistance systems for personal vehicles. The company navigates this transition after a troubled history involving safety incidents and leadership changes.
Cruise operates as an American self-driving car company and serves as a subsidiary of General Motors. Founded in 2013 by Kyle Vogt and Dan Kan, the San Francisco-based business focuses on developing fully autonomous vehicle technology for a fleet of driverless taxis. Marc Whitten currently leads the company as CEO, overseeing a team of approximately 3,800 employees.
The company originally starts by building retrofit kits for human-driven cars before shifting its strategy to tackle the complex challenge of city driving. General Motors acquires Cruise in 2016, allowing the subsidiary to build specialized vehicles like the Cruise AV and Cruise Origin. However, a series of street incidents forces Cruise to suspend all operations in October 2023, prompting founder Kyle Vogt to resign the following month.
Cruise gradually returns its vehicles to public roads in May 2024, but this recovery falls short of saving the autonomous taxi dream. In December 2024, General Motors officially halts funding for the robotaxi division. Instead of pursuing fully driverless fleets, GM integrates Cruise's technical work into the development of advanced driver assistance systems for personal consumer vehicles.