SAN FRANCISCO -- Cruise, General Motors' self-driving vehicle unit, revealed its first vehicle that can drive without an operator as well as plans for a new service to compete in the ride-hailing space.
The Cruise Origin, developed with Honda Motor Co., is designed with more space for passengers, and the driverless taxi will give ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft another rival, Cruise CEO Dan Ammann said late Tuesday during the vehicle's introduction.
GM is also an investor in Lyft.
The third-generation Cruise vehicle will be used first to launch the ride-hailing service, but Ammann would not provide details on timing of the rollout.
Since GM acquired Cruise, the company has worked on integrating self-driving technology into self-driving vehicles it plans to use for initial deployment.
And since Honda became an investor in October 2018, Cruise has moved more quickly to develop a self-driving, EV platform, spokesman Ray Wert said.
Ammann declined to comment on when the Origin would launch on public roads but said Cruise will begin testing the shuttles on private campuses in the near future.
The Origin has an all-new electric platform built by GM and doesn't require a backup driver or steering wheel. Honda contributed to the engineering and production of the vehicle.
Ammann would not disclose the mileage range of the Origin, but said the vehicle can reach highway speed.