Ford Rival GM To Supply Uber With Cruise AVs

While Ford has pivoted away from Level 4 and 5 autonomous technology and instead chosen to focus on Level 2 and 3 – while forming a new entity called Latitude AI to spearhead those efforts – its cross-town rival General Motors continues to push on with its self-driving efforts. In fact, GM’s commercial autonomous vehicle company Cruise continues to expand thanks to a new partnership with Uber, even after facing some very public issues over the past few months, as well as an uncertain future.

Now, according to GM Authority, Cruise has been tabbed to supply Uber with its self-driving robotaxi units starting at some unspecified point next year, which users will be able to ride in via the company’s mobile app. “Cruise is on a mission to leverage driverless technology to create safer streets and redefine urban life,” said Cruise CEO Marc Whitten. “We are excited to partner with Uber to bring the benefits of safe, reliable, autonomous driving to even more people, unlocking a new era of urban mobility.”

“As the largest mobility and delivery platform, we believe Uber can play an important role in helping to safely and reliably introduce autonomous technology to consumers and cities around the world,” added Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “We’re thrilled to partner with Cruise and look forward to launching next year.”

As Ford Authority previously reported, Cruise appeared doomed at one point after one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian down the road after they were hit by another vehicle. Cruise proceeded to stop its autonomous testing efforts temporarily after that incident, and had its budget cut on multiple occasions before GM proceeded to pump $850 million back into it this past June – a few months after naming a new chief safety officer.

We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.