Cruise, General Motors' autonomous vehicle unit, plans to mass produce a self-driving car without a steering wheel or pedals by 2019, the company said on Thursday. It says it has submitted a safety report as well as an application to regulators to approve the design, its fourth-generation model.

Caveat: Though 2019 is a year away, only seven states currently allow for driverless cars, and Cruise's home state of California is in the process of passing a bill to allow for this. It has also applied for needed exemptions to federal regulations.

The car: Along with the omission of driver-centric features, Cruise's next-generation car is designed for ride-hailing passengers in mind. Riders will be able to summon one via a mobile app and adjust settings like interior temperature.

Competition: Cruise has several competitors, most notably Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car unit. Waymo has been working on self-driving cars since 2009 and has been testing its cars in a few locations, including a pilot test program in Arizona it debuted last year.