Starting in 2020, Cadillac will start to offer a lightweight, semi-autonomous driving mode on every Cadillac model. The Super Cruise system is already available today but limited to just the full-size CT6 sedan. General Motors is also announcing today that the SuperCruise system will start hitting other GM brands — such as Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick — after 2020. And then by 2023, an unnamed, high-volume Cadillac crossover will have vehicle-to-everything communication to let it speak to similarly equipped vehicles, infrastructure and other connected devices.
Super Cruise launched earlier this year and only works on expressway in the United States.
When active, Super Cruise controls the steering and speed, but again, only on an expressway. This is done through on board sensors and using GPS and mapping data. GM employed Ushr, Inc, a startup in GM Venture’s portfolio, to map 160,000 miles of expressways in the U.S. and Canada. The car company then used Super Cruise-equipped vehicles to test each mile.
I tried out the Super Cruise system and found it easy and enjoyable to use. It feels like just another feature and not anything tacked onto an already-finished vehicle.
Cadillac and General Motors are clearly take its time to roll out the system. The CT6 is a low-volume vehicle and Super Cruise is optional. There has been very little advertising around the autonomous feature.
Super Cruise is Cadillac’s answer to Tesla’s Autopilot. The system shares a lot of the same marketable points, but there are key differences. For one, Super Cruise only works on expressways. Cadillac’s system also lacks several autonomous features found on Autopilot including the ability to pull the car out of a garage and change lanes by using the turn signals.
The system will likely evolve and mature and the SuperCruise that hits future vehicles will likely be more sophisticated that the one that’s available today.
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