Analysis-GM's Cruise faces long road back to city streets in wake of safety review

FILE PHOTO: A self-driving GM Bolt EV is seen 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/File Photo

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - General Motors' Cruise self-driving car unit faces a trip that could last the better part of this year to convince regulators and a wary public that its robotaxis are fit to share the road with human drivers, industry officials said.

After releasing a withering safety report last week that Cruise commissioned, GM said on Tuesday it slashed about $1 billion from Cruise's annual budget and promised to "soon" release a timeline for the unit's return to operations. The U.S. automaker also delayed indefinitely a March update when it was expected to lay out plans.