General Motors (GM) told Wall Street analysts that the savings made in manufacturing, logistics and IT will help them in the development of new technology such as driverless cars.
GM, a US company, decided to offset funding used for other areas into investments in brand development and new technology. The company says it wants to start testing a fleet of self-driving Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid cars in 2018 at its headquarters in Detroit.
Mary Barra, CEO of GM, said that the company will disrupt the auto industry with new forms of mobility. Product development chief, Mark Reuss, said that this latest move by the company was not a "publicity stunt."
GM hopes to be able to match search engine Google's attempt at developing a fleet of 48 robot cars. Apple is also testing its own self-driving vehicles and Uber has already created a lab in Pittsburgh, US to develop them.
However, this latest news may leave a bitter taste in the mouth of the US president Donald Trump, who's "Make America Great Again" mantra promised US citizens a better economy, more jobs and prosperity.
In January 2017, shortly before Trump came into office, GM said they would increase manufacturing in America by US$1 billion. The company also said they would move production of their pickup axles from Mexico to Michigan.
This news was welcomed by the president who hooked the crowds throughout his campaign by promising to force US companies to invest within their borders.
However seven months later, it appears that GM will be slowing down efforts in order to invest in new technology, whether this will compensate for the cut in manufacturing and purchasing remains to be seen.
In June 2017, Ford Motor Company decided to choose China to manufacture its new Ford Focus over the United States — a move which may not have gone down very well with Trump.
Such as Ford's plans to produce cars in China? Yeah, YOU told us YOU were winning when YOU made sure Ford plant didn't move to Mexico#SAD
— Sparky (@sparkman52) 21 June 2017
