General Motors acquires self-driving car startup Cruise Automation

Automotive giant looks to head off challenges to its dominance by tech companies such as Alphabet and Apple in developing driverless vehicles

Detroit automotive giant General Motors has acquired Cruise Automation, a Silicon Valley maker of driverless cars, as it moves to head off a challenge to its dominance from some of the tech world's biggest companies.

GM's acquisition of Cruise "provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry", said GM executive vice-president Mark Reuss. "We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team."