Hands-free driving technology is coming to the 2021 Cadillac Escalade and the brand's CMO says it's part of GM's effort to steer the luxury SUV market closer to self-driving
The feature is called Super Cruise and fully controls acceleration and braking when enabled. It can also automatically change lanes by activating a turn signal stalk in either direction.
In the mode, the car will also automatically adjust its position within a lane for driver comfort when another vehicle passes.
"There is a moment when you take your hands off the wheel and it's terrifying and exhilarating and then you never know how you lived without it," Melissa Grady, chief marketing officer at Cadillac, told Cheddar.
Super Cruise only works on compatible highways that have lanes physically separated from opposing traffic. That includes 200,000 miles of highway in the U.S. in Canada, according to GM.
It's worth noting that the Escalade is not an autonomous vehicle. The car still alerts drivers when a situation emerges that they must resume control. But it does seem to be a step in that direction.
The new tech signals GM's desire to keep up with changing consumer expectations toward driver-assist and self-driving technologies.
"With any product, you're looking at 'what are the next 10 years going to bring and how do we really go beyond what we can even imagine as consumers?'" Grady said.
Much like all the upheaval shaking the world, the huge swings rocking Wall Street may feel far from normal. But, for investing at least, this is normal.
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.