Why Did General Motors Delay Its Self-Driving Cars?
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Chevy Bolts withself-driving systems have been spotted in San Francisco recently. GM'sself-driving tech is thought to be quite advanced, but GM says it is still a long way from market. Image source: General Motors.
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When will General Motors (NYSE: GM) have cars withself-driving technology for sale?
The answer seems to be "not soon." While GM is increasingly perceived as a leader in the technology
Probably mindful of the controversy around Tesla Motors' (NASDAQ: TSLA) Autopilot system, GM executives want to make absolutely sure that its technology is proven safe before it comes to market.
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That could turn out to be a longer process than many investors have been expecting.
GM is being vague about the timing for good reasons
GM's first system will be much more restricted than Autopilot
GM has said that its first vehicle to be offered with Super Cruise will be the big Cadillac CT6 sedan. The rollout of Super Cruise on the CT6 was originally scheduled for later this year
"We'll put it out there when it's ready," GM global product chief Mark Reuss recently told the Detroit Free Press
Why GM has to be more conservative than Tesla
In the wake of a fatal accident in May in which Tesla's Autopilot was engaged, Consumer Reports called on Tesla to disable the Autopilot system
Tesla has argued that despite its imperfections, Autopilot is already safer than a human driver in some circumstances -- and therefore, it doesn't think it's right to disable the system.
There's merit to that argument, but I don't think GM could get away with making the same argument in the same circumstances. I suspect that GM knows that it will be held to a much more conservative standard than swashbuckling Tesla, and Barra clearly doesn't want to find herself having to make an argument like that -- or having to deal with calls from Consumer Reports to disable a new system intended to improve safety.
Does that put GM at a disadvantage? Probably not in the longer term. It may not be first to market with a fully self-driving system. But it's clear now that GM will be among the first automakers to bring self-driving technology to market -- and it's also clear that GM will go to great lengths to ensure that whatever it offers is made as safe as possible.
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