GM is Ready to Launch “Super Cruise”

The Super Cruise feature was first announced in 2014 but here it is just over two years later and we still don’t have this feature on the GM models that will be offered for the 2017 model year or beyond. This feature is supposed to be the product from GM that rivals the Tesla Autopilot system, but with the negative press that system has been receiving over the past several months it might be a good thing the Super Cruise hasn’t arrived just yet. With that in mind, GM is ready to put this feature into models starting next year for the 2018 model year.

As we look at the Super Cruise system it seems to be a system that has more safeguards in place than any other on the market so far, which could be intentional. This system will allow the car to take over some of the driving duties on the highway but is not to be considered an autonomous system at all. In fact, if you don’t pay close enough attention, this system will completely shut down on you and you’ll find yourself parked on the side of the road as the car waits for your next input.

The timeframe required for you to continue to let the car know you’re still paying attention hasn’t been shared, but the fact the car will shut down makes it easier to understand how this Super Cruise system can help you. The system will not only shut down if you wait too long between alerts to show you’re still paying attention, if the road becomes too twisted, the system will require you to take over and continue the drive without the Super Cruise system functioning on that road. Because the system will shut down if you don’t respond there is a new set of concerns for regulators.

The concerns in place for regulators now is the fact that a system that pulls the car to the side of the road and shuts off will need to know there’s enough shoulder of the road in order to give the car enough space to be safe on the side of the road. Once this aspect of the shutdown process has been solved, this system is expected to be given the approval of the NHTSA and be added to the Cadillac models at the end of 2017 for the 2018 model year.

This Super Cruise system could be a lifesaver for some as well. Drivers who become drowsy will have alert system that help to revive them including a flashing gauge cluster, seat vibrations, audible warning and an OnStar representative that will speak to you as the drowsy driver. If you start to see newer Cadillac models on the side of the road in the future, don’t worry, some of these may be people who thought the Super Cruise was the same as the Tesla Autopilot only to find out the Super Cruise has more safety and security built in to make sure the driver’s know the system is only semi-autonomous.