1. Does Great Wall Motors want to launch a new high-end electric vehicle brand? Competing with Weilai, Lantu, etc.
Gasgoo Motors reported on December 10 that according to people familiar with the matter, Great Wall Motors plans to launch a new An independent brand of smart electric vehicles, the project is internally codenamed "SL". In the future, it will focus on the high-end new energy vehicle market and directly compete with Weilai, Lantu, etc.
At present, in the field of new energy vehicles, Great Wall already has the Euler brand, and it is performing well. In particular, the Euler R1, which focuses on the 70,000-yuan premium small car market, has sold a total of 28,498 new cars in the first year since it was launched at the end of 2018, successfully ranking among the top ten new energy passenger cars in 2019. Including the 10,367 units of the ORA iQ sold, the total sales of the ORA brand in 2019 reached 38,865 units, taking a leading position in the electric vehicle market worth RMB 70,000 to RMB 80,000.
Entering 2020, the Euler brand continues to maintain a hot sales trend. Except for the first two months, which were seriously affected by the epidemic, sales continued to rise from March, and by November, monthly sales reached 11,592 vehicles, year-on-year. A surge of 415%, a month-on-month increase of 45%, achieving 9 consecutive increases. Among them, the Euler Black Cat (2021 R1) sold 9,463 units in November, a year-on-year increase of 373% and a month-on-month increase of 51%. In the first 11 months of 2020, the total sales of the Euler brand reached 43,516 vehicles, compared with 36,212 vehicles in the same period last year, a year-on-year increase of 20%.
Eurer Black Cat, picture source: Great Wall Motors
But in the high-end electric vehicle market, Great Wall's layout is still blank, and this is precisely the focus of competition among independent car companies. Especially as new car-making forces such as Tesla, NIO, Xpeng, and Ideal continue to strengthen their "attack power" in the high-end electric vehicle market. On the other hand, luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi are also stepping up their efforts to promote electrification. How to quickly enter this market has become an urgent problem for independent car companies to solve. In response to this, many car companies have taken action this year to promote high-end electric vehicles.
For example, Dongfeng has launched the Lantu brand. Currently, its first model, Lantu FREE, has rolled off the pre-production line and is undergoing global tests such as three-high, special, durability and comprehensive strengthening. The new car is positioned as a zero-anxiety medium and large smart electric SUV. It will make its global debut on December 18 and will be launched and delivered in the third quarter of 2021.
SAIC launched the "Zhiji Automobile", a project jointly built by SAIC Group, Pudong New Area and Alibaba Group. It is claimed to be a tens-billion-level "Big Mac" project and was officially launched on November 26. Launched and settled in Zhangjiang Intelligent Park, Pudong New Area. Among them, SAIC's equity accounted for 54%, Pudong Investment accounted for 18%, Alibaba accounted for 18%, and others accounted for 10%. It is reported that as soon as January next year, Zhiji Auto will simultaneously launch a new high-end car brand in Shanghai, London and CES in North America, and debut two models including a sedan and an SUV.
BAIC has launched ARCFOX. The brand’s first model, ARCFOX? The car has also been endorsed by many well-known suppliers such as Valeo, Bosch, Autoliv, BorgWarner, Harman, Huawei, etc. It is BAIC's blockbuster high-end product.
In addition, Changan, FAW, GAC, BYD, Baoneng, etc. are also actively deploying high-end products. Among them, Changan announced in mid-November that it would join hands with Huawei and CATL to create a new high-end smart car brand. It is reported that the first product has completed the preliminary research and development work and is about to enter the mass production stage. It will be available to everyone soon. FAW and Baoneng have also revealed their thoughts on entering the high-end electric vehicle market.
Under the "domestic and foreign troubles", how can Great Wall not be anxious? It is inevitable to make efforts to promote high-end electric vehicles. However, although Great Wall has been a step behind in terms of pace, based on the Euler brand and Great Wall's own technical reserves in the three electric fields, once a high-end intelligent independent electric brand is launched in the future, it is expected to form a good linkage with the Euler brand and achieve new goals. Energy vehicles cover all high, middle and low-end markets. In this way, temporary lagging behind seems to be nothing.
(Source: Gasgoo? Xiong Wei)
2. Xpeng Motors raised US$2.16 billion for the research and development of smart electric vehicles.
Gasgoo recently announced that Xpeng Motors An additional 48 million ADS shares were issued at a public offering price of US$45 per ADS, raising US$2.16 billion. This is the largest first additional issuance of shares in the history of Chinese concept stocks. The issuance is expected to end on December 11, 2020. .
The underwriters will have a 30-day option to purchase up to a total of 7.2 million ADSs from the company. If the underwriters fully exercise their green shoes, the amount raised will reach US$2.484 billion.
It is understood that the funds raised by Xpeng Motors will be used in the following areas: research and development of smart electric vehicles, software, hardware and data; sales and marketing, sales and service channels and super charging network development. expansion, and expansion into international markets; potential strategic investment in core technologies for smart electric vehicles; and general corporate purposes, including working capital needs, etc.
As one of the companies that has entered the U.S. capital market, Xpeng Motors’ stock price and market value continue to hit new highs. Information from Oriental Fortune Network shows that as of December 10, Xpeng Motors’ share price was US$44.65, with a market value of US$32.8 billion.
In addition, Xpeng Motors has also achieved good results in terms of sales. Data shows that Xpeng Motors delivered a total of 4,224 units in November, a year-on-year increase of 342%, setting a new high in 2020; from January to November A total of 21,341 units were delivered, a year-on-year increase of 87%.
The picture shows the Xpeng P7 Pengyi version; picture source: Xpeng Motors official website
Among them, the Xpeng P7 became the main sales force, with 2,732 units delivered in November, a month-on-month increase of 30% ; Since the launch of large-scale delivery at the end of June this year, a total of 11,371 units have been delivered. Xpeng G3 delivered 1,492 units that month, a month-on-month increase of 59%. (Source: Gasgoo? Fu Kui)
3. The stricter Euro 7 emission standards may lead to the catastrophe of non-hybrid vehicles
News on December 10, Beijing time, Carmakers are concerned that the next round of EU emissions standards will increase compliance costs and make it unprofitable to produce cars with non-plug-in hybrid or all-electric powertrains, Automotive News Europe reported.
The emissions standard, known as Euro 7 (Euro? 7), will further reduce the maximum allowable emissions of air pollutants, such as fine particulate matter, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, and is expected to take effect as early as 2025 .
The European Commission will put forward legislative proposals in the fourth quarter of next year, based on an impact assessment analysis that will be completed in the first half of next year.
Taking the proposed new emission limits as an example, nitrogen oxides (NOx) will be reduced to 30 milligrams per kilometer, which is lower than the error range of today's portable emission measurement systems.
According to the Euro 6d emission standards that came into effect in January, after excluding the error factor of PEMS (portable emission measurement system), the exhaust emissions of cars on the test bed and on the road must not exceed 80 mg/km. Currently, Estimates are as high as 34.4 mg/km.
EU experts are calling for a significant tightening of the parameters of "real driving emissions tests" (RDE), which so far ignore statistically rare "edge cases" such as extreme temperatures.
A senior Volkswagen engineer said that if the Euro 7 emissions plan proposed by the European Union's Automotive Emissions Standards Advisory Group takes effect, Volkswagen will no longer be able to sell a Polo car for 15,000 euros.
The senior engineer told reporters: "If they expand the boundary conditions of the test to cover more strenuous vehicles, such as trailers, it will mean the end of internal combustion engine vehicles. In fact, even if they are equipped with 48 volts Battery-based mild hybrid vehicles cannot meet such low emission requirements under any conditions," said the engineer, who did not want to be named in the report.
He also said: "We will have to do away with manual transmission models to be able to indicate the precise timing of the transmission gear switch, and the acceleration performance of the vehicle will be reduced. It will be slower. The car will be like eating It’s like taking sleeping pills. On the other hand, not only will the costs of car companies soar, but all the fun related to driving will also disappear.
”
The introduction of Euro 7 emissions standards is seen as a key determinant behind the crossing of the cost curves for internal combustion and electric vehicles.
Carmakers say the regulation will New technologies come with compliance costs, such as cleaner exhaust after-treatment technologies, which are eliminated by electric vehicles once controlling their carbon footprint is taken into account. Emissions in all aspects of vehicles, including pollutants and carbon dioxide
Starting next month, car manufacturers are expected to implement stricter Euro 6d standards, which include diesel vehicles.
The industry had requested to postpone the entry into force of the Euro 6d standard by half a year, but was unsuccessful?
Industry groups sounded the alarm
Car industry lobby group ACEA said engineering targets must be set close to zero to take testing tolerances into account
ACEA told Automotive News Europe. ) wrote in a statement: "There is currently no evidence that limiting nitrogen oxide emissions to 30 mg/km is technically feasible, especially in all possible on-road driving. The same limits must also be met under a range of more extreme driving conditions, including high altitudes, high speeds, uphill slopes, fully loaded and under more severe winter and summer conditions.
The VW engineer said the proposal, if implemented, could actually increase harmful emissions. He said: "This would mean that vehicles that, for whatever reason, cannot switch to electric Car people will end up continuing to use their existing cars rather than replacing them with cleaner cars. ”
European transport industry representatives have expressed concerns about Euro 7 emissions standards, including in a letter to the European Commission last month, urging that work on the new standards be a transparent, data-driven process that should Allow stakeholders sufficient time to analyze new proposals and collect evidence-based feedback.”
On December 4, local time, ACEA released a position paper on Euro 7 emission standards. The document issued a stern warning about controlling emissions: "The Euro 7 emissions standard proposals we have seen so far (even if the standard setters claim that this is not the final version) have not been sufficiently transparent and have not undergone enough trials. Debate. This proposal is a gamble on the plan to transform gasoline-powered vehicles into zero-emission vehicles, which has limited returns. Doing so will cause risks to the competitiveness of the industry." (Source: Sina Auto)
4, Toyota. Solid-state battery technology will debut in 2021
Gasgoo can be fully charged in 10 minutes and travel 500 kilometers on a single charge, minimizing safety risks. Toyota said that the company's upcoming solid-state battery will not only change electric vehicles , will also change the pattern of the entire industry.
(Image source: Toyota Motor)
Electric vehicles powered by traditional lithium-ion batteries have shorter range and longer charging times on a single charge, while solid-state battery technology These shortcomings are solved very well. Under the same conditions, the electric vehicles developed by Toyota have a driving range of more than twice that of traditional lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles, and the charging time is reduced by two-thirds; even in compact cars, the vehicles are equipped with solid-state batteries without sacrificing internal space. Solid-state batteries are expected to be a viable alternative to lithium-ion batteries, reducing the risk of electric vehicle fires and increasing energy density (a measure of how much energy a battery can provide relative to its weight).
Toyota plans to be the first company to sell a solid-state battery vehicle in the early 2020s, with a prototype to be unveiled next year. Toyota holds more than 1,000 patents in the field of solid-state batteries, ranking among the top in the world. Nissan Motor Co. also plans to develop its own solid-state battery to power a non-analog car by 2028.
The shift to new battery technologies will also have an impact on companies downstream in the supply chain. Japanese auto materials makers are rushing to build the necessary infrastructure to supply automakers. Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co. will launch a pilot plant to produce solid electrolytes for batteries. The factory, located at a research and development center in Saitama Prefecture, will be able to produce dozens of tons of solid electrolytes per year starting next year, enough to fill orders for prototype vehicles.
Oil company Idemitsu Kosan is installing solid electrolyte production equipment at its plant in Chiba Prefecture, aiming to start operations next year. Making solid electrolytes requires curing sulfides, a specialty of the metals and chemical industries. Sumitomo Chemical is also developing this material.
Japanese manufacturers such as Sony and Panasonic have been pioneers in commercializing car batteries. But since the late 2000s, Chinese competitors have begun to emerge. CATL is currently the world's largest supplier of lithium-ion batteries. Japan's Asahi Kasei was originally the global leader in battery separator materials. It lost its crown to Shanghai Energy last year.
As carbon dioxide emissions are gradually reduced globally, electric vehicles are expected to become very common. The Japanese government has been encouraging the development of solid-state batteries, arguing that if the status quo remains unchanged, most technologies related to vehicle performance will depend on China.
The Japanese government is forming a fund of approximately 2 trillion yen ($19.2 billion) to support decarbonization technologies. Policymakers will consider using the fund to provide hundreds of billions of yen in subsidies to finance the development of new batteries, with the goal of supporting the development of Japan's domestic mass production infrastructure. Since solid-state batteries use lithium, which has limited global reserves, the government will help acquire the material.
Other countries around the world are following suit. Germany's Volkswagen plans to start producing solid-state batteries as early as 2025 through a joint venture with a U.S. startup. Chinese technology company Qingtao (Kunshan) Energy Development Co., Ltd. will invest 1 billion yuan ($153 million) in research and development in areas such as solid-state batteries. The investment will start in 2021 and last three years. (Source: Gasgoo? Zhan Ya'e)
5. Huawei bought land in Guangzhou to build a new R&D center? It may be related to smart cars.
Gasgoo recently announced that the Baiyun District Government of Guangzhou City It is reported that the land of the Overseas Chinese Sugar Factory in Baiyun District was successfully sold at the Guangzhou Public Resource Trading Center, and the winner was Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. The total land area of ??this plot is approximately 178.94 acres, with a planned total construction area of ??approximately 166,000 square meters, and a transfer fee of 339 million yuan. Huawei plans to build a research and development center here in the future.
As early as April this year, Huawei signed an investment framework agreement with the Guangzhou Baiyun District Government to build a Guangzhou Huawei R&D center to promote the development of Guangzhou’s smart cities, cloud computing, Internet of Things and other industries. position and in-depth strategic cooperation. Huawei's successful bid for the Huaqiao Sugar Factory land may mean that the construction of Huawei's Guangzhou R&D center will be accelerated.
According to the original plan of Baiyun District, the land mainly focuses on technological innovation, digital government, smart transportation, 5G and other fields, and focuses on the development of information technology application innovation and new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain. A generation of information technology industry, which coincides with Huawei's ICT gene. It is reported that after the R&D center is completed, Huawei plans to engage in research and development in technical fields such as smart cars, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things, and accelerate the application of Huawei's ICT technology in various industries in Guangzhou.
Since Huawei officially established the smart car solution BU in 2019, in the past year or so, Huawei has deepened its reach into various fields of smart electric vehicles. Supporting Huawei in carrying out these technological innovations is It is its unstinting investment in research and development. For example, Huawei's R&D base in Qingpu, Shanghai, with a total investment of nearly 10 billion yuan, has officially started construction at the end of September. After completion, it will carry out research and development in terminal chips, wireless networks, and the Internet of Things, and is expected to employ 30,000 to 40,000 people. Technology R&D talents.
Close to Shanghai, Huawei has also set up a technology center in Suzhou. It is reported that the center can also accommodate tens of thousands of people. In the future, a large part of Huawei's auto parts-related business will be located here, including testing, and Joint laboratories established by partners, etc., to accelerate the implementation of Huawei's automotive business. (Source: Gasgoo? Xiong Wei)
6. Volvo Cars will invest US$83 million to produce electric motors in Sweden
Gasgoo According to foreign media reports, Volvo Cars announced on December 9 It said it plans to start producing electric motors at its powertrain plant in Skovde, Sweden. In order to add electric motor production capacity to the plant, Volvo will invest 700 million crowns (approximately $83 million) in the plant.
(Image source: Volvo)
A Volvo Cars spokesperson said that the company will begin full-scale production of electric motors around 2025. The so-called full production means that Volvo will produce the rotating parts of the electric motor as well as the casing of the electric drive system at the same time. Production activities related to internal combustion engines at the Sk?vde plant will be transferred to a Volvo subsidiary called Powertrain Engineering Sweden.
A Volvo spokesman revealed that the plant will supply electric motors to Volvo's vehicle assembly plants in Sweden and Belgium. He added that the plant also has the potential to supply electric motors to the company's factories in the United States and China.
Electric motors, batteries and power electronics are the basic components of electric vehicles. Volvo said that developing and producing electric motors in-house will allow Volvo engineers to further optimize the components and entire electric drivetrain of new models.
Earlier this year, Volvo said it would make large-scale investments in the design and development of electric motors for next-generation models. Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said last week that in his vision, Volvo will become an all-electric brand in the next 10 years. Volvo hopes that by 2025, pure electric vehicles will account for half of its global sales, with the remaining half coming from hybrid vehicles. (Source: Gasgoo? Nebula)
7. Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board held a meeting? But Diess may not have done so
Gasgoo According to foreign media reports, the Volkswagen Group’s Supervisory Board did not conduct its CEO meeting Herbert Diess called for a vote of confidence, but said discussions at the meeting were "constructive".
(Picture source: Volkswagen)
On December 9, the Volkswagen Group Supervisory Board held a meeting to find ways to calm the leadership crisis. A spokesperson for the Supervisory Board said in a statement: "The discussions at the meeting were constructive. However, as expected, no decision will be made at today's meeting."
Previously, Diess asked for an early renewal of the contract and for provide more support for its reform efforts. Diess has sought to transform Volkswagen from the world's largest maker of internal combustion engine cars into a company capable of mass-producing electric and self-driving vehicles. But the pace and depth of his reforms, including cutting costs in Germany and transforming VW into a technology company, have led to repeated clashes with labor leaders eager to protect local jobs. In June, Diess was stripped of his position as head of the Volkswagen brand due to internal disputes.
Sources said Diess and the union disagreed on key issues, including whether to renew his CEO contract after 2023 and the appointment of the management board. Volkswagen is now less efficient and more expensive than its important rivals. Diess has always believed that costs must be cut to free up more resources needed to produce high-tech cars.
Labor leaders, who hold half of VW’s supervisory board seats, are likely to oppose Diess’s renewal. This week, people familiar with the matter said that Volkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch had lobbied to avoid discussing the renewal because the 2023 deadline is not yet approaching and the renewal is not an urgent matter at this time.
Diess's efforts to build alliances on the management committee have also been met with opposition, creating a management deadlock. Diess is trying to appoint Audi's financial director Arno Antlitz as chief financial officer of the Volkswagen Group to replace Frank Witter, who is retiring in June; hire Thomas Schmall as a member of the management committee responsible for parts and components to replace Stefan Sommer who has resigned. As head of Volkswagen's parts division, Schmall is credited with leading the electrification transformation of German parts plants.
A Volkswagen management source told German business daily Handelsblatt that Diess had lost the support of senior executives. "People have stopped supporting him." According to Handelsblatt, executives are fed up with Diess constantly claiming in the media that Tesla is better than Volkswagen. Last month, Diess wrote an opinion column in Handelsblatt, saying Volkswagen still had an "old, hard-shelled" structure that had to be broken down.
(Source: Gasgoo? Gu Jiaojiao)
8, Yiwei Lithium Energy introduced SKI as a strategic investor through debt-for-equity swap
Gasgoo recently announced that Huizhou Yiwei Lithium Energy Co., Ltd. The company (hereinafter referred to as Yiwei Lithium Energy) announced that in order to meet the operational and development needs of its subsidiary Huizhou Yiwei Energy Collection Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yiwei Energy), Yiwei Lithium Energy, Yiwei Energy and Blue? Dragon Energy Co., Limited (hereinafter referred to as "BDE") signed four "Cash Loan Contracts". Yiweiji Neng applied for a loan from BDE, and the company provided pledge guarantee with 60% equity of Yiweiji Neng.
Image source: EVE Lithium Energy Announcement
BDE, SK Innovation Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SKI"), EVE Energy and EVE Lithium Energy signed the "Transfer of Creditor's Rights" Agreement", BDE transfers to SKI all the loan claims that BDE can enjoy against Yiwei Group; at the same time, all parties agree and confirm that under the "Cash Loan Contract" and related agreements (including the "Equity Pledge Contract" signed between BDE and the company) All rights and obligations of BDE are inherited by SKI.
SKI invested RMB 2.035 billion through debt-to-equity swap, accounting for 49% of the registered capital of Yiwei Jineng. Yiwei Lithium Energy accounts for 51% of the registered capital of Yiwei Jineng.
Yiwei Lithium Energy said that after SKI exercised the equity transfer and became a shareholder of Yiwei Ji Energy, it will be conducive to further leveraging the synergy between the two parties in terms of technology, market, management, supply chain, etc., and improve the efficiency of Yiwei Lithium Energy. Ji Neng takes advantage of its leading position in the domestic and foreign soft pack battery markets to optimize the financial structure of Yiwei Ji Neng.
According to data, Yiwei Energy’s business scope: automotive lithium-ion soft-pack batteries (except solid-state lithium batteries and metal lithium batteries) and automotive lithium-ion soft-pack battery modules (solid-state lithium batteries and metal lithium batteries). Production, processing, sales, research and development, after-sales service (except lithium batteries) and production, processing, sales, research and development, after-sales service of energy storage batteries, etc.
Data show that from January to September, Yiwei Energy's operating income was 1.466 billion yuan, and its net profit was 80 million yuan. As of September 30, 2020, Yiwei Energy's total assets were 5.274 billion yuan, total liabilities were 3.144 billion yuan, and the debt ratio was 59.61%, compared with 53.95% in the same period last year. (Source: Gasgoo? Fu Kui)
9. The location of the North American headquarters of electric vehicle start-up Arrival has been determined and will be listed on the backdoor.
Gasgoo On December 9, the British electric vehicle start-up company Arrival announced that its North American headquarters will be located in Charlotte, North Carolina, less than 30 miles from its "micro-factory" in Rock Mountain, South Carolina. The company will increase its investment by $3 million to support operations at its North American headquarters. In addition, 150 new employees will be added to the North American headquarters, including human resources, marketing, finance and administration and other related positions.
Image source: Arrival
Arrival was founded in 2015 and has approximately 1,500 employees worldwide. It has production bases and production bases in the United States, Germany, Singapore, Russia and the United Kingdom. R&D center. The "skateboard" automotive platform with modular component structure is Arrival's advantage because it is not only cost-effective but also contains components such as battery packs, electric engines and powertrains.
In the past nearly five years, Arrival was a relatively "mysterious" company until it announced in January this year that it had received a US$110 million investment from Hyundai and Kia. This year, the company released more information and announced last month that it had agreed to merge with CIIG M&A to be listed in the United States, with a company valuation of approximately US$5.4 billion. It is understood that the merger with CIIG will be completed in the first quarter of next year.
Arrival hopes that its electric vehicles will be price competitive when compared with traditional fuel vehicles, and have a lower cost of ownership (cost?of?ownership) when competing with other electric vehicle models. . The company says its modular electric "skateboard-style" platform that can be used in different vehicle models, as well as its "microfactories" set up near major cities, are important ways to achieve its mission.
According to Arrival’s plan, it will produce commercial electric vehicles, starting with electric vans and electric buses.
According to the company's CEO Mike Ableson, the company will have four models on the market by 2023. (Source: Gasgoo? Cai Shuhong)
On October 10, GM Cruise began testing self-driving cars without human safety officers in San Francisco
Gasgoo said on December 9 that it had begun testing Self-driving cars are being tested in San Francisco, USA, without a human safety driver in the driver's seat.
Cruise driverless car (Photo source: Cruise)
Cruise CEO Dan Ammann said that the company plans to start testing some cars and will do so "methodically and responsibly" in San Francisco deployment, saying the test marks the first time a test license has been used in a major U.S. city.
Cruise spokesman Ray Wert said that although these self-driving cars will not have a human safety operator in the driver's seat, the company plans to have a safety operator in the passenger seat during initial testing. . "Safety operators will have the ability to stop the vehicle in an emergency, but will not be able to use standard driver operating systems," Wert said in an email. "Eventually, safety operators will be completely eliminated from self-driving cars."
Ammann said: “For Cruise, and the broader autonomous driving industry, this represents that fully autonomous driving technology has moved out of the research and development stage and entered the journey of becoming a real commercial product. I think this is very exciting. , is also an important milestone in the entire history of self-driving cars.”
Cruise driverless car (Photo source: Cruise)
The commercialization of self-driving cars takes longer than it does for people. It takes a long time to imagine, and many people thought it should have been realized a few years ago. Now, while Wall Street and companies including Cruise are hyping driverless ride-hailing fleets, only Alphabet unit Waymo's self-driving cars operating in Arizona are for public use.
Ammann refused to disclose when the company plans to launch a commercial self-driving passenger car/truck business, saying only that "the company will have a lot of actions next year" and the company's progress will be more tangible by then. "I think next year is a very exciting year," he said. Test cars are expected to be part of an employee testing program before being put into public use.
Last year, Cruise delayed its commercial self-driving car service that it planned to deploy in San Francisco in 2019. The company has always said that the launch time will be safety-oriented. On December 9, Ammann reiterated this point.
Cruise self-driving car (Image source: Cruise)
Less than two weeks ago, Cruise just passed the California Department of Motor Vehicles permit to allow use in its self-driving cars. Eliminate human drivers. Companies such as Waymo, Autox Technologies, Nuro and Amazon's Zoox all obtained this license earlier than Cuise.
Ammann said that in the past five years, Cruise has driven more than 2 million miles and invested billions of dollars in operations. Cruise is a subsidiary of General Motors, with Honda and SoftBank as its major shareholders. On December 9, GM’s stock price rose 1.4% to $44.41 per share. (Source: Gasgoo? Gu Jiaojiao)
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.