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| © Motor Trend Staff GM Cruise AV |
From Motor Trend
Honda has teamed up with General Motors to develop an autonomous vehicle for Cruise, the American automaker's self-driving car division.
Honda has invested $750 million in Cruise, and over the next 12 years, it will contribute another $2 billion. The goal is to roll out autonomous vehicles in high volumes around the globe. Honda's investment in Cruise follows another recent investment by SoftBank, bringing the valuation of the self-driving tech company to $14.6 billion.
Cruise is preparing to launch commercial autonomous cars in 2019. GM said the cars will deploy in "dense urban environments." Based on the Chevrolet Bolt, the Cruise AV debuted this year in production-ready form, and without a steering wheel or pedals. Orion, Michigan, is the site of production for these vehicles.
It's expected for automakers and tech companies to partner up on autonomous cars to reduce costs and accelerate development. Waymo has partnered with a number of automakers, including Fiat Chrysler, which contributes its Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans for retrofitting by the tech company, and Jaguar, which has committed 20,000 I-Pace EV crossovers to Waymo's test fleet. Meanwhile, BMW, FCA, and many other companies are working together on a common autonomous vehicle platform.
GM and Honda have collaborated before. Just a few months ago, the two companies announced an agreement to develop next-generation battery technology for future vehicles, mainly for North America. The new batteries will benefit from more efficient packaging, higher energy density, and faster charging capabilities. The two companies have also committed to work together on hydrogen fuel cell technology.
