The Cruise subsidiary of General Motors Co. in Detroit and Honda have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a new joint venture company to launch a driverless “ridehail” service in Japan starting in early 2026.
The ridehail service is expected to be the first of its kind in Japan, and has the potential to be one of the largest driverless ridehail markets in the world as large cities experience high demand for taxis.
The region also has a growing need for new forms of transportation, with ongoing driver shortages and an increasing need for accessible forms of transportation. To address the needs, the joint venture will use the Origin, a people-centric vehicle co-developed by GM, Cruise, and Honda specifically for autonomous transportation.
“GM has always been invested in defining the future of transportation and that’s more true today than ever,” says Mary Barra, chair and CEO of GM. “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.”
The vehicle allows for six passengers to sit face-to-face, enabling customers to comfortably travel in a new way.
“There is an important and growing societal need for safe and accessible transportation in Japan that autonomous vehicles can provide a solution for,” says Kyle Vogt, CEO of 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.”
GM will manufacture approximately 500 Origins at Factory ZERO Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, the launchpad for GM’s multi-brand EV and AV future.
“Honda is striving to create the ‘joy and freedom of mobility,’” says Toshihiro Mibe, global CEO for Honda. “Through our driverless ride service with Cruise and GM, we will enable customers in Japan to experience a new value of mobility, improve the quality of their mobility experiences and offer the joy of mobility. This will be a major step toward the realization of an advanced mobility society. “
Cruise currently offers ridehail services in San Francisco, Austin, and Phoenix accumulating five million driverless miles and over 100,000 five-star rides. Cruise is planning to launch autonomous vehicles in 12 additional announced markets in the U.S.
