GM exec: Cruise targeting commercial AV deployment in 2022

Cruise LLC, the autonomous vehicle company in which General Motors Co. has a majority stake, is aiming to launch a commercial taxi service next year, GM Executive Vice President Doug Parks said during a Deutsche Bank virtual chat Thursday. 

Cruise has said in the past that its launch city will be San Francisco. In 2019, Cruise delayed its plan to deploy driverless taxis by the end of that year.

Since then, Cruise last year received approval to operate vehicles without a safety driver in the driver's seat and revealed a new autonomous electric shuttle called the Cruise Origin, which will be built starting in 2023 at GM's Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center alongside the GMC Hummer pickup and SUV and the electric Chevrolet Silverado. 

"We think Cruise and General Motors together as an integrated unit provides a significant amount of value," Parks said on the chat.  

Cruise has started giving employees driverless rides around San Francisco streets. Parks also participated in one of the rides and called it "astounding."

"The technology is really coming." 

khall@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @bykaleahall