GM’s Cruise names interim CEO Kyle Vogt permanent chief

Cruise LLC, the autonomous vehicle company that is majority-owned by General Motors, on Monday named founder Kyle Vogt the full-time chief executive officer.

Vogt had been interim CEO since Dan Ammann left Cruise in December following disagreements with GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. At the time, GM said it would look for a permanent leader for Cruise.

Vogt confirmed the appointment on his Linkedin.com page.

Vogt said he has “no doubt” Cruise will be “a difficult challenge given our very ambitious plans, but I couldn’t imagine doing anything more important or more fun.”

He also said that putting people in driverless cars is a “lifelong dream for me. I will never give up.”

Putting Vogt atop Cruise could be a way to give the company’s tech employees a sense that its mission to develop self-driving vehicles will remain intact despite more involvement from GM. Vogt founded the company before GM bought it in 2016 and has been a guiding force for its software development.