Cruise is a collaboration with General Motors, which bought the startup in 2016, and Honda, which brought its engineering expertise and investment to the project last year. So it makes sense that the Cruise Origin, its first vehicle, will be built at a GM plant—which facility will be announced soon, we are told. The Origin won't be roaming streets near you, however; we're told it will go into initial shuttle service in a private area, likely Tokyo's Olympic village this summer.

It's a Cruise, Not aChevy Cruze

The Origin even rides on GM's new electric vehicle platform, the one that will underpin a Cadillac soon, and it is Cruise's first dedicated ride-sharing vehicle. It will join the Cruise AV, a modified Chevrolet Bolt that also has no steering wheel or pedals that Cruise CEO Dan Ammann hopes will go into service on public roads this year once regulatory hurdles are cleared.

Measuring about 20 inches longer than a Bolt and shorter than a Tesla Model 3, the Origin looks a little funny with its snub nose and rear. We're told this is the most space-efficient shape achievable within the car's manageable footprint. It has a flat floor that is easy to get in and out through the massive tram-like sliding side doors. There are a few screens, one at each end, to welcome entering passengers, tell them to buckle up, and let them know the vehicle is leaving and where it is headed next.

None of the screens are for entertainment. After much study and debate, the development team concluded the trend for people to immerse themselves in their own personal devices will continue so external entertainment is unnecessary. Up to six passengers will sit and fiddle with their smartphones on bench seats facing each other. When there are three across, seating is a little tight: Think rubbing thighs with a stranger on a domestic flight. Head- and legroom are voluminous. There is room for carry-on luggage under the seats and four more bags fit in the trunk area in the back.

The Origin doesn't have much performance to brag about, but it has the aerodynamics necessary for highway speeds (to serve airport runs, for example) and much effort went into a smooth ride so passengers, especially those with their backs to the road ahead, are comfortable.

Whenever the Origin goes into production—no dates were given—it will not be offered for retail sale, meaning you can't actually buy one. The vehicles are owned and operated by Cruise itself. Ammann insists it will cost about half as much to build as a conventional luxury electric SUV, such as Tesla's Model X. That's based on a few assumptions, including all driver functions being stripped out, the modular nature of the vehicle, and the economies of scale expected when riders discover it is a more affordable way to go. Further economies of scale are expected when a package delivery version comes later. That model replaces the Origin's tram-style doors with a yawning garage door that rolls up and down.

No matter how you slice it, Cruise is essentially developing a $50,000 vehicle that can operate around the clock—with time off for quick charging—until it exhausts its one-million-mile lifespan. Ammann would not give the vehicle's range per charge, which would affect operational downtime needed for charging, but an Origin's life will be a busy one regardless.

Where Did This Come From?

The Origin has been three years in the making and is touted as the way of the future. It will help fulfill the direction set by GM CEO Mary Barra to embrace an electric and autonomous future. GM's work with Cruise started with a version of the Chevrolet Bolt with Lidar (laser-based distance) sensors on the roof and evolved into a bespoke, production-ready, fully autonomous car made at the Orion Assembly Plant in Michigan. With each generation it became a more advanced dedicated, self-driving electric sedan. The fourth-generation Cruise AV might still look like a Chevy Bolt with stuff attached to it, but it is a production-ready, fully autonomous car.

Both the Cruise AV and the new Origin vehicles use an array of sensors, cameras, radar, lidar and other technology, combining hardware with artificial intelligence to replace a human driver behind the wheel. (Oops, old turn of phrase—remember, there is no steering wheel in either Cruise vehicle!) The Origin has the latest evolution of a suite of sensing technologies that are packaged on each side of the front end, turning like the head of an owl, to take in every aspect of the environment, never blinking, day or night courtesy of thermal imaging. As tech evolves, the vehicle is designed to swap parts out for the latest innovations.