The fight between robotaxi services intensifies as General Motors makes its next move

Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving technology unit, has been announced to conquer the streets already before the end of 2022. 

Cruise’s robo taxi services will be launched in Austin and Phoenix in Texas. The locations have been chosen because historically both of the cities serve as hubs for autonomous vehicle development.

During Goldman Sachs’s Communacopia and Technology Conference, Kyle Vogt, CEO and co-founder of Cruise, noted that at the beginning the services will be small scale, however, they plan to go fully driverless from the very start. 

Kyle Vogt mentioned: “In Phoenix we’re building off the partnership we have with Walmart, which is an investor and partner in Cruise.” This comment refers to Cruise’s delivery pilot with the retail giant in Arizona.

This is a challenge for the company as well – while it has already mapped the streets of Phoenix, it still needs to set its foot in Phoenix.