US automotive giant General Motors (GM) has said it will now “refocus autonomous driving development on personal vehicles”.
The company has not had the easiest of rides with the roll-out of its Cruise robotaxi. Set up in 2013 as a subsidiary of GM, the aim was to build a fleet of robotaxis with advanced self-driving technology to enable residents in city centres to take driverless trips.
Cruise began testing its robotaxis in San Francisco in 2023 and in the summer of that year the California Public Utilities Commission granted permission for the operation of autonomous taxi services at any time of the day throughout San Francisco.
However, a series of unfortunate incidents soon ensued, including a pedestrian being run over by a Cruise taxi and another involving a collision with a fire truck. Lawmakers in California then banned Cruise from operating its vehicles in the state.
This led to the resignation of Cruise’s CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt and the company halting operations and slimming...