A General Motors executive stated that the Google Car could become a "serious competitive threat" to the automobile industry.
Mark Reuss, product development chief at General Motors Co., told reporters in Detroit that if Google continues to pursue its foray into self-driving cars, it could become a serious threat to other carmakers. GM is currently setting up its own autonomous vehicle technology, but didn't plan to compete with Google.
"Anybody can do anything with enough time and money. If they set their mind to it, I have no doubt [that they could become] a very serious competitive threat," Reuss said to Businessweek.
On May 27, Google announced its plan to deploy a minimum of 100 fully autonomous vehicles. The cars are two-seaters, do not have steering wheels and can run to a top speed of 25 miles (40 kilometers) per hour. The company also tested the technology in other vehicles, including the Toyota Prius. Reuss commented on the Google car and described it as "kind of cool," adding that it looked like an old Volkswagen Beetle.
Last year, GM unveiled its Super Cruise technology, which featured semi-automated driving features such as hands-off lane following, braking and speed control under specific conditions. The automaker also invested on the development of an electric-networked vehicle, or EN-V, that is fully electric and emission-free since it uses electricity instead of petroleum or gas.
Although there were many carmakers investing in autonomous or self-driving car technology, Reuss believed that it would take years for the industry to phase in automobile vehicles.
"It's going to be a creep, it's not going to be a mind-bending thing. I don't think you're going to see an autonomous vehicle take over the city anytime soon," he told Businessweek.
