Why General Motors Thinks the First Self-Driving Company Will Win Big

Will there be a significant "first-mover" advantage in self-driving cars? Will the first company (or group of companies) to bring the technology to market enjoy significant long-term advantages over rivals that lag?

For a long time, I didn't think so, for reasons I'll explain in a moment. But General Motors (NYSE: GM) president Dan Ammann recently made an argument that has me thinking I'm wrong -- that the first (and maybe the second or third, but probably not the tenth) company to put lots of autonomous vehicles on the road will indeed have a big advantage over its rivals for years to come.

GM's self-driving hardware, a modified Chevrolet Bolt EV, is ready for mass production. Once GM's system is ready, it will be able to put thousands of self-driving Bolts on the road. Image source: General Motors.

Source: Fool.com