In an effort to jump ahead with implementation of driverless car tech in their future road cars, GM has purchased San Francisco-based car tech company Cruise Automation.
Cruise Automation has been working on driverless car research and technology since their inception in 2013. Their earlier product, the Cruise RP-1, was a modification that would allow non-autonomous cars to become semi-autonomous, but it had its limitations. Very few cars were compatible with the mod, it wasn't exactly subtle, and it was sold for a pricey $10,000 per unit.
Since then, Cruise Automation has moved to full-fledged, full-time autonomous car research.
“Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team.” Mark Reuss, GM's executive vice president of Global Product Development said in a press release.
This buyout comes after GM's $500 million investment in Uber-competitor Lyft, and the launch of their own car sharing brand, Maven.
Details of the buyout have not yet been released.
