American robotaxis will soon be arriving in Japan, following an agreement between Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Honda. The first such vehicles are scheduled to be deployed in 2026 in certain Tokyo neighborhoods, before expanding to offer a more extensive service in the city.
Cruise is a company specializing in autonomous mobility. It has already deployed its robotaxis in San Francisco and plans to bring them to certain areas of Los Angeles in the near future. These driverless cabs are now also beginning to expand overseas. After an initial test in Dubai this year, there are now plans to bring them to the streets of Tokyo by 2026.
Cruise, GM and Honda are setting up a joint venture to launch the very first driverless transport service in Japan. The plan is for the Cruise Origin, a fully autonomous vehicle that operates without the presence of a driver, to pick up its customers at a specific location and then drive them to their destination, all with the help of a dedicated application that will facilitate the entire process, from ride hailing to payment.
The Cruise Origin is an autonomous vehicle with no driver’s seat, steering wheel or joystick. It does, however, have a vast interior with space for six people to travel, seated face to face. This will be a major first in Japan, where people should be initially invited to test the service in 2026, once all the necessary administrative formalities and authorizations have been obtained.
While the service is expected to launch with around 10 vehicles, the joint venture’s ambition is to rapidly put a fleet of over 500 Cruise Origins on the road in and around the Japanese capital. Potential users will be able to discover this vehicle at the Japan Mobility Show, held in Tokyo from October 28 to November 5, 2023. – AFP Relaxnews
