Cruise, GM & Honda to Establish Joint Venture to Bring Driverless Ridehail Service to Japan

Cruise, GM and Honda, have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a new joint venture (JV) to provide driverless ridehail service in Japan starting in early 2026. Co-developed with GM and Honda, the Cruise Origin is a purpose-built autonomous vehicle that can carry up to six passengers.

Approximately 500 Origins will be manufactured by GM for the launch of this new JV at Factory ZERO Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in Michigan.

The new JV will coordinate and collaborate with various stakeholders, including the national and local governments, and transportation service providers in Japan.

Pending government approvals, initial testing will begin in 2024 and commercialisation will begin in central Tokyo in early 2026.

The three companies plan to subsequently expand and scale the service to areas outside of central Tokyo.

Cruise CEO, Kyle Vogt, says: “There is an important and growing societal need for safe and accessible transportation in Japan that autonomous vehicles can provide a solution for. In addition to societal impact, the business opportunity is also exciting, as Japan represents one of the largest potential autonomous vehicle ridehail markets in the world, with many dense, highly populated cities that have high transportation needs.”

“GM has always been invested in defining the future of transportation and that’s more true today than ever,” adds GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. “The benefits of AVs – from safety to accessibility – are too profound to ignore and through this important partnership with Cruise and Honda, we’re bringing forward innovation that leverages our expertise in cutting-edge software and hardware to help more people around the world get where they need to go.”

Global CEO of Honda, Toshihiro Mibe, comments: “This will be a major step toward the realization of an advanced mobility society. Providing this service in central Tokyo where the traffic environment is complex will be a great challenge, however, by working jointly with Cruise and GM, Honda will exert further efforts to make it a reality.”

Cruise has received $10 bilion in funding from companies and investors – including GM, Honda, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, and Walmart.

HASHTAG: Cruise Honda

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