GM's High Truck Sales Allow Financing for Self-Driving Cars

MT. PLEASANT, Mich -- General Motors is pushing ahead in the electric/self-driving car game, and their self-given deadline to deploy a fleet of autonomous vehicles for ride-sharing is fast approaching! 

In a press conference in February, when asked about the corporation's progress on the project, Mary Barra stated that GM was "continuing to make rapid progress with the technology" and that they were "the only player out there with the hardware and the software under one roof". 

But that kind of progress comes with a fair amount of spending, so how is the corporation able to afford this project? They're relying on their core business: trucks. GM reported a net profit of $2.1 billion for the first quarter, up from $1.1 billion a year ago! 

Numerous skeptics on Wall Street, and from other automakers have come out with statements that express doubt towards GM's ability to hold to their established timeline, but the Detroit carmaker is not backing down from their promises. Do you think GM will be able to meet their deadline of releasing a self-driving fleet of vehicles by late this year/early next? Why or why not? 

At Hank Graff Mt. Pleasant we strive to provide our customers with a car buying experience that is accommodating, stress-free and fun! Visit us at our Chevrolet dealership located at 4580 E Pickard Rd in Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48858 or our Buick GMC Cadillac dealership located at 116 N. Mission St in Mount Pleasant, MI 48858.

GM "Cruises" Into the Future of Self-Driving Cars

MT. PLEASANT, Mich -- In recent years GM's Cruise has emerged as an industry leader in autonomous vehicle technology, growing from 40 to 1,000 employees at it's San Francisco headquarters, and with recent investments by Honda and SoftBank reaching a valuation of $14.6 billion. They're now ready to take the next step in commercializing self-driving vehicles, led by their fearless new CEO Dan Ammann. 

As GM president, Ammann spearheaded the 2016 acquisition of Cruise, and completely forged and oversaw the relationship between the companies. As someone deeply familiar with Cruise's business, technology and team, he was a perfect choice for CEO. In a recent press conference he sad "I am excited to dedicate 100% of my time and energy into helping the Cruise team realize our mission of deploying this technology at scale" 

The goal of this operation is, as explained by GM CEO Mary Barra, to "Transform mobility through the safe deployment of self-driving technology and move us closer to our vision for a future with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion." 

Part of this new era for GM Cruise includes an autonomous ride-hailing service that is set to launch in 2019. The company has not officially released a statement indicating what city will be selected for the maiden voyage of this service, but all signs indicate that Cruise's hometown of San Francisco will snag the honor. 

What do you think of the strides currently being made towards launching autonomous vehicle technology? Would you use the new GM Cruise self-driving, ride-hailing service? Why or why not? Comment and let us know. We love hearing from you. 

At Hank Graff Mt. Pleasant we strive to provide our customers with a car buying experience that is accommodating, stress-free and fun! Visit us at our Chevrolet dealership located at 4580 E Pickard Rd in Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48858 or our Buick GMC Cadillac dealership located at 116 N. Mission St in Mount Pleasant, MI 48858.