GM to launch autonomous cars next year

Picture: Twitter.

Picture: Twitter.

Published Jan 14, 2018

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CAPE TOWN - Multinational motor vehicle giant, General Motors announced plans to mass-produce self-driving cars by 2019, reports The Verge. 

Set to be the fourth generation of its driverless, all-electric Chevy Bolts, the self-driving car will not feature traditional controls like steering wheels or pedals. 

The new addition is currently being tested on the public roads of San Francisco and Phoenix.

When they finally debut from GM’s manufacturing plant in Michigan, they will be positioned as ride-hailing vehicles in a number of cities. 

“It’s a pretty exciting moment in the history of the path to wide scale [autonomous vehicle] deployment and having the first production car with no driver controls,” GM President, Dan Ammann told The Verge. 

As the vehicle will not have a steering wheel, it cannot have a steering wheel airbag. 

GM has already submitted a safety report to the US Department of Transportation. 

The report details the safety system, post-crash behaviour, local laws and human machine interface to name a few. 

Meanwhile, Korean automotive manufacturer, Hyundai similarly announced on January 5, 2018 their plans to release self-driving cars. 

However, Hyundai plans to deploy their self-driving vehicles by 2020. 

Hyundai said it and Aurora will introduce autonomous cars that will not require human input in most conditions. 

Analysts predict that these vehicles will not be marketed for individual sales but instead for ride-hailing services such as self-driving taxis. 

The company also plans to show off some of its autonomous driving cars during the Winter Olympics Game in February in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

ALSO READ: Hyundai to release self-driving cars by 2021

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