General Motors (GM) has announced ambitious plans to introduce a hands-free driving system by 2028, beginning with the Cadillac Escalade IQ. This innovative system will enable drivers to disengage from actively monitoring the road, utilizing advanced technology to ensure safety and efficiency.
### GM’s Advanced Driver Assistance Features
At the core of GM’s future hands-off technology is the existing Super Cruise system, which has been operational since 2017 and is now featured in 23 different vehicle models. This system currently supports about 600,000 miles of highway driving.
The upcoming driver assistance system will employ a combination of lidar, radar, and camera technologies, initially focusing on highway usage. In her remarks, GM CEO Mary Barra emphasized that the rollout for this technology would be quicker than that of Super Cruise.
### Leveraging Expertise from Cruise
To enhance the new system’s capabilities, GM has integrated expertise from its defunct autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Cruise. Following the cessation of Cruise’s commercial operations in December 2024, the company regrouped its resources to focus on developing robust driver assistance technologies. Many engineers from Cruise have been rehired to accelerate these advancements.
GM plans to utilize Cruise’s technological resources, including AI models derived from five million miles of driverless data and a sophisticated simulation framework designed for virtual testing scenarios, in its next-generation driver assistance capabilities.
### Industry Positioning and Future Outlook
Sterling Anderson, GM’s global product executive vice president and former co-founder of the autonomous vehicle startup Aurora Innovation, discussed the current state of the industry at a recent event. He noted that decreasing costs of essential hardware have put GM in a unique position to scale production of these advanced systems.
GM’s forthcoming eyes-off driving system, unlike others in the market, will operate on highways that have not been previously mapped. Baris Cetinok, GM’s senior vice president of software and services, stated that human intervention will mainly be necessary for maneuvering off-ramps but that the system can effectively handle emergencies.
### Competitive Landscape
Should GM successfully bring its hands-off, eyes-off driving technology to market, it would place the company ahead of various competitors, although others like Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis have made strides in similar systems. Currently, Mercedes is the only automaker with a commercially available hands-off system under SAE’s Level 3 automation, though it is limited to certain highways and scenarios. Tesla continues to pursue full self-driving capabilities, albeit with systems that still necessitate driver vigilance.
This positioning underscores GM’s commitment to innovation in automotive technology and acknowledges the competitive landscape as the race for autonomous driving capabilities unfolds.
