General Motors has reportedly invested $600 million this year to advance the production of their self-driving cars, hinting on their target to release the new models "very soon." It was an interesting road they took to arrive in this pursuit to dominate the future of cars.
Chief executive Mary Barra led her team in pursuing the vision to produce self-driving cars. Last year, she rode on a prototype of a self-driving car and took some rounds on the streets of San Francisco. She wanted to personally verify the viability of the automation.
Barra noted a significant rationale from the test drive. When heading an intersection and the traffic light lights up the yellow, a decision must be made. Either one will accelerate the car or put to a halt.
When Barra has finished the test drive, she has come up with a firm decision to pursue the vision to produce self-driving cars. She realized the potentials of developing the technology and just like in the intersection, she chose to speed up and not stop.
Six months after her realization, General Motors began producing the self-driving Chevrolet Bolts in its Michigan factory. Barra further encouraged her team to push forward the development.
Apparently, the automaker has earlier invested $1 billion in the driverless technology through Cruise Automation, a Silicon Valley start-up firm. This year, the company further spent $600 million for more advanced technologies and the development of the self-driving cars.
Watch how a self-driving @chevrolet #BoltEV takes to the busy streets of San Francisco at night. https://t.co/SDGeUqh14i pic.twitter.com/fXDB3myiPG
— General Motors (@GM) May 5, 2017
Furthermore, Barra expressed their strong confidence to pursue the vision. "We are very, very serious and intent on putting something on the road," was the CEO's description of their plans for automated vehicles. She even claimed the company is targeting to be the first in self-driving cars.
Barra also explained that they do not exist to compete, nor just to join the trend. She claimed that they exist to win in every product they come up with.
In another interview, GM's head of Urban Mobility Peter Kosak was asked on the company's timetable for the driverless cars. Kosak could not reveal the exact release date but he teased, "It's going to happen very soon and probably sooner than most people expect."
The future of cars looks brighter with the enthusiasm of General Motors. Will they be able to dominate in the technology of the self-driving cars?
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