Mar 20, 2018 - Energy & Environment
GM still plans to launch self-driving cars next year
- Zachary Basu, author of Axios Sneak Peek
Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors, speaks during a press conference about the company's autonomous vehicle program. Photo by Rachel Woolf / Getty Images
General Motors said it will not delay its plans to field a fleet of self-driving cars next year in the wake of yesterday's fatal accident involving an autonomously-driven Uber vehicle.
"Protecting the safety of the people in the communities in which we live and work, as well as our employees, is at the heart of who we are as a company. Our plans to commercially launch in dense urban environments in 2019 remain unchanged but, as we’ve said from the start, we will not launch until we are satisfied that it is safe to do so.”— GM spokesperson
The state of play: This follows news that Uber and Toyota have halted testing of their autonomous vehicle programs after yesterday's accident.