Car giants General Motors and Ford clash hard over control | Financial

That’s according to documents filed with a local California court. GM is seeking to protect two of its own brands in the lawsuit after Ford renamed an automated system very similar to GM’s systems in April.

Talks between the two automakers about the issue have yielded nothing, according to GM. Ford has not yet responded immediately to the matter.

Systems

GM’s systems are called Cruise and Super Cruise. Ford changed the former Co-Pilot360 to Blue Cruise. GM introduced Super Cruise technology, which allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel for short periods of time, for the Cadillac CT6 range, and has since expanded the technology to allow cars to change lanes autonomously. GM wants to equip even more models with it.

According to GM, Ford knew “exactly what it was doing” and if Ford had wanted to start a “new, unique brand”, it could have “easily” picked a different name than Cruise.

Technologies that partly enable cars to drive independently or that prevent accidents are increasingly being contested by rival car manufacturers. They can use it to drive up their prices and price other competitors out of the market. The technologies are also seen as preparation for a world with self-driving cars. Automakers worldwide are putting billions into its development.

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