It may be a long time before self-driving cars arrive, but in the meantime, Cadillac is looking to expand its reach when it comes to semi-autonomous driving. The marque will make Super Cruise available on all of its models beginning in 2020.
Cadillac rolled out Super Cruise last fall on the CT6 sedan. It uses LiDAR map data in addition to sensors, GPS, and real-time cameras to control steering, braking, and acceleration. Unlike Tesla’s Autopilot, Super Cruise is billed as “hands-free” for the highway, meaning drivers aren’t called to keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times. But they must always pay attention to the road. By tracking a driver’s face and eye gaze direction, the car detects if a driver loses focus, and if this is the case, it will prompt the driver to look at the road or take control of the vehicle. In the event the driver becomes unresponsive, the car will bring itself to a controlled stop.
After 2020, Cadillac will introduce Super Cruise to GM’s other brands. GM didn’t provide an exact timeline for this larger rollout.
Also coming in the next few years, Cadillac will introduce technology allowing cars to communicate with road infrastructure. This capability, part of V2X communications, will arrive on a high-volume Cadillac crossover by 2023. Vehicles compatible with V2X technology receive information on the status of traffic lights, work zones, and more. Cadillac has already introduced technology that enables vehicles to communicate with each other to warn others of potential road hazards. This tech rolled out on the 2017 Cadillac CTS sedan last year.