Cadillac Cruises Into Autonomous Drive Arena
CARS.COM — This has been a good week for American car brands working in the realm of autonomous drive systems. Cadillac is getting into the business of self-drive cars in a big way, courtesy of the Super Cruise self-drive function coming to the 2018 CT6 full-size luxury sedan.
After roughly a year’s delay, Super Cruise arrives this fall as a $2,500 option on the automaker’s range-topping sedan. While one of the major targets is obviously Tesla and the Silicon Valley-based automaker’s highly-touted Autopilot autonomous drive feature, it’s fair to say Cadillac has come up with an intriguing angle around both this and all other competing systems.
Related: Ford Doubles Down on Self-Driving Cars
For starters, Super Cruise watches both the driver and the road. A small camera mounted on the steering column uses infrared sensors to determine whether a driver is looking ahead and paying attention to the road or, for example, looking down to fiddle with a smartphone. If the system determines the driver has looked away for too long, the car will begin a series of audible and visual alerts. Should the driver continue to ignore these warnings, the car will slow down and come to a stop.
Mapping data also limits the use of Super Cruise to divided highways with clear on- and off-ramps. This is not a system that will pilot you in a busy city center, because Cadillac simply doesn’t want it to (for now).
Why Should I Care? Cadillac has made it clear that Super Cruise is not the cure-all for every driving situation. By limiting Super Cruise to highways that have been precisely mapped using laser-scanning technology, Cadillac is covering two issues with one careful calculation. Car buyers wary of self-drive could be swayed to accept a system that doesn’t immediately goad you into going hands-free in unpredictable city driving. It also allows Cadillac to politely wait, while government regulations for autonomous drive vehicles work to catch up to the cars coming to production.
And let’s be honest, after several years of nonsensical badges (CT6, XT5 etc.), it’s good to see Cadillac use a classically cool name again. Super Cruise is, quite simply, a super name. Here’s hoping it works as good as it sounds.
Ford Races Ahead With Self-Drive Cars
Ford has emerged ahead of the pack when it comes to self-driving cars, according to a recent report published by Navigant Research. Out of 18 companies, including Silicon Valley darlings such as Google and Uber, it was the Blue-Oval brand that was determined to have the best mix of development, engineering and (future) real-world applications for autonomous vehicles.
For comparison sake, Uber ranked almost last in the finally tally — due partly to ongoing legal battles regarding its self-drive technology. Even Tesla only managed to land in 12th place, despite the automaker’s firm commitment to self-drive systems throughout its range of vehicles, including the upcoming $35,000 Model 3 sedan.
Why Should I Care? This is a fast-paced field and, if we’re being honest, Ford’s “victory” in this study could be turned upside down in only a matter of months. The rush toward self-drive vehicles is outpacing the fact that they remain largely unregulated, even in terms of how to license and insure them once they reach production.
The study also heavily favored traditional car companies, rather than tech firms. Why? Well, automakers have two key advantages: They know how to build cars, and they have the means to sell them. That explains why Google, which has been working on autonomous drive for seven years now, faces more of an uphill battle than the likes of brick-and-mortar brands such as GM, BMW, Honda and Ford.
Of course, it’s worth remembering not every major player in the world of self-drive vehicles wants to get into the business of building cars. Parts suppliers and multifaceted firms such as Bosch, Valeo and Panasonic are all betting on a future that includes vehicles that drive us. Many of these firms could have the key to making this tech an affordable and safe reality, which is why Ford would be wise to keep looking over its corporate shoulders in the years to come.
