GM’s driverless-taxi delay shows hype may outpace reality

The San Francisco skyline is seen behind a self-driving GM Bolt EV during a media event where Cruise, GM's autonomous car unit, showed off its self-driving cars in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 28, 2017. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

A delay in General Motors Co’s deployment of its self-driving vehicles is fuelling increased scepticism that self-driving cars are not ready to ply America’s roads. 

GM Cruise LLC, the autonomous-vehicle unit of General Motors Co, confirmed Wednesday it will delay indefinitely its plan to deploy driverless taxis in the streets of San Francisco – explicit acknowledgement that hype generated by tech enthusiasts and investors is outpacing both engineering reality and safety concerns.