Honda, General Motors, and Cruise have teamed up to create a joint venture set to deploy a driverless ride service in Japan in early 2026. The joint venture, which is going to be established in the first half of 2024, will deploy the futuristic Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle for the service. Users will be able to order a robotaxi through a dedicated app, be picked up at a specified location, and then dropped off. The Origin provides seating for up to 6 occupants sitting face-to-face and the service will be targeted at a wide range of customers, including business people, families, and visitors.
Honda, GM, and Cruise’s service will first
consist of dozens of Cruise Origins before expanding to a fleet of approximately
500 vehicles. The service will initially focus on central Tokyo but be expanded
to other areas in the future. GM says that Japan could become one of the
largest driverless ride-hail markets in the world given the high demand for
taxis in the country’s large cities. The country is also facing taxi driver
shortages and according to the carmaker, needs new “accessible forms of
transportation.”
GM and Cruise have been testing their
autonomous robotaxis throughout the United States for many years and already
offer ride-hail services in San Francisco, Austin, and Phoenix where it has
accumulated more than 5 million driverless miles.
