For the last few years, Tesla has been at the forefront of the self-driving car segment. Elon Musk‘s push toward a fully-autonomous future has been tough to keep up with. However, General Motors (GM) is taking concrete steps to compete.
Monday, GM announced its plans to acquire Strobe, a start-up company with its sights set on autonomous vehicles. The three-year-old company specifically focuses on improving the laser imaging used in self-driving vehicles.
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Strobe’s team is expected to work under the umbrella of Cruise Automation, a software company purchased by General Motors last year. “Strobe’s […] technology will significantly improve the cost and capabilities of our vehicles so that we can more quickly accomplish our mission to deploy driverless vehicles at scale,” said Kyle Vogt, founder of Cruise Automation.
According to Wall Street analysts, GM is making its way up the ladder in an effort to hold its own in the self-driving car segment, among leading competitors like Alphabet’s Waymo. While it still has a way to go, the California DMV’s accident reports show that GM is testing these vehicles extensively.
“GM’s AV’s will be ready for commercial deployment, without human drivers, much sooner than widely expected (within quarters, not years),” said Rod Lache, an analyst for Deutsche Bank. “Potentially years ahead of competitors.”
As the largest automaker in the United States, GM holds a lot of power in the automotive industry. A shift in driver technology led by General Motors is one that many other auto manufacturers would have no choice but to follow. And with the company taking concrete and tangible steps toward autonomous technology, the possibilities skyrocket.
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News Sources: The New York Times, USA Today
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