General Motors is about to join the autonomous revolution.
Cadillac announced in a press release Monday the 2018 CT6 sedan, when it’s released this fall, will be the first vehicle in the company’s lineup to feature Super Cruise. The automaker is billing Super Cruise as the automotive industry’s “first true hands-free driving technology for the highway,” — a clear shot at Tesla’s Autopilot system.
In addition to cameras and sensors that monitor the vehicle’s surroundings in real-time, Cadillac’s system also will use a database of lidar-scanned maps.
“Super Cruise is a more technologically advanced hands-free driving solution, which in terms of capability, integration and validation is uniquely focused on customer convenience and safety,” Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen said in the release. “Cadillac’s philosophy is to elevate driving. Super Cruise enables safe, simple hands-free driving for the highway.”
The push of a button on the steering wheel will initiate Super Cruise, according to Cadillac. Once active, a light on the wheel indicates the status of the feature. The driver will be prompted, if necessary, to return their attention to the road if they’ve been looking away for too long.
The driver attention system uses a small camera on top of the steering column that reads the driver’s head position to monitor where they’re looking when Super Cruise is in operation. Cadillac notes that existing driver assist systems only rely on wheel input and warning messages to bring drivers’ attentions back to the road.
Coincidentally or not, Cadillac revealed the technology on the same day Tesla surpassed GM in market capitalization, making Tesla the U.S.’Â most valuable automaker, according to Business Insider.
Thumbnail photo via Cadillac
