Washington — General Motors (GM) is aiming to overtake rivals by launching a large-scale fleet of self-driving taxies by 2019. The US vehicle giant told an investor call its strategy was based on zero emissions and autonomous technology that would eliminate most crashes. "If we continue on our current rate of change, we will be ready to deploy this technology in large scale in the most complex environments in 2019," said GM president Dan Ammann in the call on Thursday. Ammann said GM was betting on autonomous technology, calling it "the biggest business opportunity since the creation of the internet". The plan for a 2019 deployment would likely put GM ahead of rivals such as former Google car unit Waymo, which has begun small-scale trials of autonomous cars, and Uber, which has ordered vehicles from Volvo for deployment between 2019 and 2021. GM chairperson and CEO Mary Barra said on the same call that the company was planning "the next chapter in our journey in the transformation t...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.