GM to launch autonomous cars in big cities sometime in 2019

• General Motors expects to have autonomous vehicles working commercially in big cities sometime in 2019.
• GM's Cruise Automation unit is currently testing autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles with human backup drivers in San Francisco, Detroit and Phoenix with plans to test in Manhattan next year.
• The company made the prediction Thursday in slides posted on its website ahead of an investor presentation.

Mary Barra, chief executive officer of General Motors Co. (GM), stands next to a Chevrolet Bolt EV self-driving test car while speaking during a news conference at GM's headquarters in the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016.

Jeff Kowalsky | Bloomberg | Getty Images

General Motors expects to have autonomous vehicles working commercially in big cities sometime in 2019.

The company made the prediction Thursday in slides posted on its website ahead of an investor presentation.

The company says that based on its current rate of change, it expects "commercial launch at scale" in heavily travelled urban environments in 2019. The slides mention delivery and carrying passengers.

GM's Cruise Automation unit is currently testing autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles with human backup drivers in San Francisco, Detroit and Phoenix with plans to test in Manhattan next year. Presumably the backup driver would be removed at the time of the commercial launch.

The slides say that GM is focused on deploying self-driving vehicles safely but say the company is in the lead vs rival companies.