Honda and General Motors’ (GM's) Cruise Automation will establish a new joint venture company to launch what is claimed to be the first driverless robotaxis in Japan starting in early 2026.
The move comes as Cruise, the autonomous arm of GM, has come under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after two pedestrians were injured by Cruise’s robotaxis.
According to the companies, the ridehail service in Japan could potentially be one of the largest in the world as taxis are in high demand in that country. Additionally, the region has a growing need for new forms of transportation with driver shortages and a lack of accessible forms of public transportation.
“There is an important and growing societal need for safe and accessible transportation in Japan that autonomous vehicles can provide a solution for,” said Kyle Vogt, CEO at Cruise. “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.”
Cruise’s Origin driverless autonomous vehicle will be used in the robotaxi service. Origin allows for six passengers to sit face-to-face and comes without a conventional steering wheel or cockpit.
GM will manufacture about 500 Origins for the launch of the new JV from its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in Michigan.
Meanwhile, the NHTSA’s investigation is the second involving Cruise in less than a year, according to a report from Forbes. Cruise is working with the NHTSA and other regulators like the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which opened its own investigation into Cruise in August after a vehicle crashed with an emergency vehicle in San Francisco.
