General Motors’ (GM) autonomous car subsidiary, Cruise, has announced plans to test its Cruise-branded, custom-built driverless robotaxi “Origin” on public roads in Austin, Texas, over the coming weeks. 

Initially, the vehicles will be rolled out for testing purposes, with plans to open the service to the public in the future.

GM has already commenced production of its Origin vehicles and is now rolling off the assembly line at GM's Factory Zero in Detroit and Hamtramck in Michigan.

Analyst QuickTake: GM first introduced its custom-built Origin for the autonomous ride-hailing market in January 2020, with plans to commence production of the vehicle in 2023 ; a goal that the company is now materializing. Just last month, GM received permission from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to test its Origin robotaxis on public roads in California, too. Cruise is currently offering its robotaxi services in San Francisco (California), Phoenix (Arizona), and Austin using a fleet of around 300 Chevrolet Bolt vehicles retrofitted with its self-driving technology.