GM to Add 1,100 Jobs At Cruise Automation
GM will also invest $14 million in a new self-driving R&D plant near San Francisco.
After purchasing Cruise Automation, an autonomous driving technology company based in San Francisco, GM has announced it will continue to invest heavily in the in the self-driving company's future. Investing $14 million in a self-driving research and development facility near San Francisco, GM claims it will add more than 1,100 jobs at Cruise Automation over the next five years.
GM will be repurposing an existing facility, which will more than double Cruise Automation's R&D work space. Cruise Automation plans to move in to the new facility by the end of 2017.
While now wholly owned by GM, the automaker isn't operating Cruise Automation as if it's a fully-fledged and integrated division. GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said, “Self-driving technology holds enormous benefits to society in the form of increased safety and access to transportation. Running our autonomous vehicle program as a start-up is giving us the speed we need to continue to stay at the forefront of development of these technologies and the market applications.”
Cruise Automation is currently testing a fleet in self-driving cars. 50 Chevrolet Bolt EVs are have been outfitted with Cruise Automation's self-driving hardware and software. They are currently cruising the streets of Scottsdale, Detroit, and San Francisco, where they have been spotted in action.
An $8 million tax credit, authorized by the California Competes Tax Credit Committee, will go to GM as an incentive for adding well-paying jobs to the state.
The announcement of GM's influx of money to Cruise Automation comes just days after GM said it is finally releasing Super Cruise, its semi-autonomous driving system, on the 2018 Cadillac CT6. It's clear that GM is making a push to be a leader in the semi-autonomous and self-driving segment of the auto industry—as are many others.
