General Motors has a host of alphanumeric names from its history it revives from time to time. Some of the the most famous and commonly used ones are performance related, such as Z/28 and ZR1. This time, the company seems to be looking back to a less performance-oriented nameplate, with the recently obtained "AV1" trademark, first discovered by GM Inside News.
Now GM never made a vehicle called AV1, but it made one with a similar name, the EV1. It was the first purpose-built, mass-produced electric car the company offered to the public, and a significant moment in the development of modern electric cars. GM has been working hard on autonomous vehicles with its Cruise Automation team, getting so far as to announcing that it will launch a vehicle with no steering wheel for its ride-sharing fleet in 2019. The company hasn't announced a name yet, but certainly using an abbreviation of autonomous vehicle, AV, and 1 for the first version would be an appropriate choice with a nice finish of GM history.
That being said, the EV1's history isn't all positive. GM leased the vehicles to owners, and when the leases were up, it didn't offer a program for owners to purchase the car outright. As a result, GM took back all the cars, and most, though not all, were destroyed. The story was told in the film Who Killed the Electric Car?
Though it's possible GM will end up destroying most of these future AV1's when their course is run, too, there may not be any angry owners. Many of these cars will likely be used in ride-sharing services, so no individuals will really own them and in turn become attached to them.
Now GM never made a vehicle called AV1, but it made one with a similar name, the EV1. It was the first purpose-built, mass-produced electric car the company offered to the public, and a significant moment in the development of modern electric cars. GM has been working hard on autonomous vehicles with its Cruise Automation team, getting so far as to announcing that it will launch a vehicle with no steering wheel for its ride-sharing fleet in 2019. The company hasn't announced a name yet, but certainly using an abbreviation of autonomous vehicle, AV, and 1 for the first version would be an appropriate choice with a nice finish of GM history.
That being said, the EV1's history isn't all positive. GM leased the vehicles to owners, and when the leases were up, it didn't offer a program for owners to purchase the car outright. As a result, GM took back all the cars, and most, though not all, were destroyed. The story was told in the film Who Killed the Electric Car?
Though it's possible GM will end up destroying most of these future AV1's when their course is run, too, there may not be any angry owners. Many of these cars will likely be used in ride-sharing services, so no individuals will really own them and in turn become attached to them.
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