General Motors is turning to artificial intelligence to overhaul how it develops new vehicles and to expand self-driving technology, as it faces mounting pressure from Chinese electric vehicle makers. The automaker aims to shorten development time to two years from the current four to five, and to introduce autonomous driving features starting in 2028.
GM said it would use AI and virtual engineering to speed up vehicle development, according to CNBC, speaking at a technology event called GM Forward held in New York on the 21st.
The company plans to apply AI and computer simulation across the development process, from vehicle design through testing and production. By verifying performance and safety in virtual environments before building physical prototypes, GM expects to cut both the time and cost required for development.
The approach has already been applied to next-generation EV batteries. GM said it tested more than 300,000 design options in a virtual environment before producing actual battery cells, shortening the time from initial concept to development approval for a battery pack to about one month.
In particular, GM plans to use lithium-manganese-rich, or LMR, batteries now under joint development with South Korea's LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) in its next-generation electric vehicles. According to GM, LMR batteries are being developed with roughly 33% higher energy density than the lithium-iron-phosphate, or LFP, batteries favored by Chinese manufacturers, while targeting comparable costs. The two companies are working toward mass production in 2028 at a joint venture plant in Tennessee.
GM's shift in EV strategy is expected to affect South Korea's battery industry as well. As Chinese manufacturers expand their market share with low-cost LFP batteries, LG Energy Solution is moving to commercialize next-generation cells that deliver both competitive pricing and performance through its partnership with GM.
GM is also expanding its autonomous driving technology. In 2028, the company plans to introduce an "eyes off" feature on the Cadillac Escalade IQ, an electric sport utility vehicle, allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel and stop watching the road ahead. The technology lets the vehicle drive itself under specific conditions such as highway travel, and is distinct from fully driverless autonomous driving. GM plans to extend the feature to pickup trucks and large SUVs.
