General Motors-owned Cruise has stopped making its fully driverless vehicle, the Origin, just over a week after halting its robotaxi services across the country due to several troubling incidents.
Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt informed employees of this decision during a meeting on Monday, which was reported by Forbes. The Origin is a unique driverless vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, initially promoted as the future of Cruise’s robotaxi operations in U.S. cities.
The vehicle was first introduced three years ago and was produced at General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck factory. However, since regulators are not yet ready for such a design, Cruise has been testing its autonomous technology on a modified Chevy Bolt that includes a steering wheel and pedals.
During the meeting, Vogt mentioned that Cruise has already built “hundreds” of the Origin vehicles and will deploy them “when we are ready to ramp things back up.”
A GM spokesperson confirmed to Digital Trends that the production of the Origin is being “temporarily paused,” emphasizing that it remains “an important part of the autonomous vehicle journey,” as it is “the first scalable vehicle ever designed specifically for autonomous rides.”
Cruise suspended its testing nationwide on October 26, a couple of days after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) revoked its robotaxi permit following a series of concerning incidents. One of the most serious incidents occurred in San Francisco in early October, where a woman was trapped under a Cruise vehicle’s wheel after being struck by another car.
Other incidents in recent months involved Cruise’s self-driving vehicles blocking traffic and one vehicle driving onto wet concrete and getting stuck.
Cruise explained that their top priority is to “rebuild public trust” and this involves a thorough internal review of their processes, acknowledging that this process might be uncomfortable or difficult.
Only after a comprehensive assessment will it be clear how Cruise plans to move forward and whether they will resume manufacturing the Origin for robotaxi and delivery services.