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Dubai — Building on General Motors’ commitment to an all-electric future with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, Gary D. West, Urban Active Operations Manager at General Motors International, today outlined the four pillars of mobility and the future of the automotive industry at the Future Mobility Conference held in Dubai.
With automotive manufacturers on a constant journey to advance their technology and expand their portfolio, the Future Mobility Conference offers the perfect platform to discuss smart, clean and connected mobility supporting the vision for 25% of all transportation trips to be smart and driverless by 2030 of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Beginning his session by looking back, West established General Motors’ position as a technology giant who introduced motoring for the masses. However, General Motors has always been more than an automotive manufacturer as, back in the 1960s, General Motors played a crucial role in space exploration by developing the inertial guidance and navigation systems for the entire Apollo Moon Program.
The crux of the session was detailing and developing the four major mobility pillars currently transforming the transportation sphere: in-vehicle connectivity, sharing, electrification and autonomous driving.
General Motors is at the forefront of the urban mobility revolution with a host of technologies already available in other global markets, explained West. Initiatives such as Maven, the car-sharing service that connects vehicles and passengers in an attempt to cut down on traffic; Cadillac Super Cruise technology, the world’s first true hands-free driving system for the roads and OnStar, the smart service that provides a range of safety, security, navigation and diagnostic features at the push of a button which has had over 1 billion interactions in the last 20 years.
West also expanded on General Motors’ commitment to an all-electric future by discussing plans to launch two new all-electric vehicles in the next 18 months which will be the first of at least 20 new all-electric vehicles launching by 2023.
Gary D. West was named Urban Active Operations Manager across Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East in August 2016. In his role, West oversees the strategic planning, implementation and operations management of GM International’s mobility business. Based in Dubai, he works with the Urban Active group – GM’s mobility incubator, and leads the company’s Connectivity, Autonomous, Sharing and Electrification (CASE) efforts in the region.
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General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com
CONTACTS:
Farah Amhaz
Regional Communications Manager
GM Middle East
+9714 314 3920
farah.amhaz@gm.com
