Cadillac will launch "Super Cruise" automated driving for the 2017 model year, and the CTS will be the first General Motors (GM) vehicle to offer standard vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications technology.
IHS Automotive perspective | |
Significance | GM CEO Mary Barra has announced that Cadillac will offer an automated driving system, dubbed Super Cruise, for the 2017 model year (MY), along with making V2V communications technology standard on the CTS that year. |
Implications | Automated driving, which uses a combination of systems and sensors to assist drivers by automating some aspects of car control, is a necessary step towards autonomous driving. |
Outlook | GM's Super Cruise system will keep the company at the leading edge of this technology, though not necessarily the cutting edge as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class offers a suite of technologies that enables basic automated driving, and Audi and Toyota have both been active in demonstrating their research vehicles. V2V technology will ultimately be required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), so we expect many more announcements to follow. |
During a speech to the Intelligent Transport System World Congress in Detroit (US) on 7 September 2014, GM CEO Mary Barra announced production plans for the company's "Super Cruise" system and its first application of V2V communications technology, as well as investment in continued research and development that includes a new project with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the University of Michigan's Mobility Transformation Center, and other automakers on a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) project.
Cadillac will begin offering advanced "intelligent and connected" technology on select MY2017 vehicles, a system first demonstrated in early 2012. Currently called Super Cruise, it will launch on an "all-new Cadillac that's going to enter a segment where we don't compete today". The system promises the ability to let the car take over on the highway, limited access driving situations, and enabling the driver to drive "hands-free and feet-free" through stop-and-go traffic. The technology includes hands-off lane following, braking, and speed control in certain highway conditions. The system is designed to increase the comfort of an attentive driver on freeways, both in bumper-to-bumper traffic and on long road trips.
Also for MY2017, the CTS will be enabled with standard V2V communication technology. Barra promised the CTS will talk to other V2V cars, as well as be able to talk to V2I-equipped infrastructure. The MY2015 CTS offers 4GLTE and OnStar, and adding V2V is a demonstration of the company's intention to use the pairing of OnStar and high-speed mobile broadband as "a platform for future innovations in traffic, safety, and consumer care", according to Barra.
Barra also said commercialising a fully automated vehicle may take until the next decade, and that the next challenge on the road to fully automated driving is the urban environment. At the conference, GM will demonstrate an Opel Insignia with digital maps and GPS, LIDAR sensors in the bumpers, and V2V and V2I technology. GM will also showcase vehicle-to-pedestrian technology that can warn drivers of any pedestrians hidden from view.
In the press release, Barra said, "We are not doing this for the sake of the technology itself. We're doing it because it's what customers around the world want. Through technology and innovation, we will make driving safer. Advancing technology so that people can more safely live their lives is a responsibility we embrace." Barra also said that GM is participating in a Detroit-area programme to create 120 miles of V2I roadways, working with the Michigan Department of Transportation, University of Michigan Mobility Transformation Center, and other automakers. The project will post V2I technology on several area freeways and will be the largest deployment of the technology in the US so far.
Outlook and implications
Cadillac will be among the first to equip a car with V2V technology and to offer lane-following technology, although the Mercedes-Benz S-class offers a variation on the technology, and Audi and Toyota are both testing systems and getting nearer to production. The lane-following technologies take lane-keeping assist a step further, with proactive steering inputs to keep the car centered.
However, V2V technology needs other V2V-equipped cars, and it will take some time before a significant portion of the car park is equipped; with people keeping their vehicles for longer, it will also take longer to get the fleet updated. GM equipping the CTS is a start, but only a small one.
However, the NHTSA announced in August 2014 its plans requiring all cars to have V2V communications, with the rule expected to be implemented by 2016 (see United States: 19 August 2014: US unveils plan for requiring cars to have V2V communications). An NHTSA safety requirement would speed the V2V application. There is also the opportunity for the aftermarket industry to create post-production solutions for cars built before the systems were possible. The NHTSA has approved some aftermarket hardware suppliers, anticipating this potential.
The Mobility Transformation Center project builds on an existing project with V2V deployment of 3,000 vehicles around the Ann Arbor (Michigan, US) area. The next phases of the project include expanding to 9,000 vehicles, as well as providing the V2I infrastructure to support a later deployment of 20,000 connected vehicles. The project underscores that moving into a future of automated driving requires public-private R&D and support. According to the Center, Delphi, Denso, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Bosch, Toyota, and Verizon are among the founding companies of the project, each of which has committed USD1 million over the next three years.
That the Super Cruise system will launch first on the upcoming flagship also signals that GM is looking to deliver the vehicle with a high level of technology content, which is necessary in order to be competitive in this space and to support its brand-building efforts (see United States: 20 August 2014: Cadillac discusses brand-building and overall future product direction). Launching the automated driving support systems on the Cadillac range also underscores the brand's role as technology leader for GM, as well as allowing the company to more easily manage costs, as luxury buyers have traditionally been willing and able to spend more on technology and features than standard buyers, though that paradigm seems to be shifting as buyers in all categories opt for more highly-contented vehicles.
The systems that GM is researching and implementing are high on the priority list for most automakers. Many are using the ITS conference in Detroit from 7 to 11 September 2014 to demonstrate their ongoing research. GM's approach is similar to that of other automakers. The immediate focus is on automating driving tasks for less driver fatigue, fewer accidents, and less stress. However, GM is promising hands-free driving in some limited situations, while the Mercedes-Benz Distronic Plus with Steering Assist requires drivers to keep their hands on the wheel. Both Toyota and Audi's systems use cameras and sensors to read the driver and ensure he is paying attention to the road. Toyota's system also requires hands on the wheel.
The technology and systems enabling automated driving have the potential to ease congestion, and contribute to safer roads and drivers, while automakers refine system functionality, integration, and driver feedback for fully autonomous driving. Delivering these systems into the customer's hands also eases the transition towards acceptance of a self-driving vehicle. These vehicles also need to interact with the infrastructure and other vehicles, which is where public-private research projects become critical.