What’s Happening: General Motors announced that Ultra Cruise, the company’s next-generation advanced driver assistance system designed to enable hands-free driving in 95 percent of all driving scenarios, will have a 360-degree view of the vehicle through a unique sensor suite when it launches on the Cadillac CELESTIQ.
Why It Matters: Ultra Cruise will use a combination of cameras, radars, and a driver attention system to monitor the driver’s head position and/or eyes to ensure driver attention. The technology is developed with GM’s philosophy of safely deploying ADAS technologies and aims to build drivers’ confidence in the system. GM expects that customers will be able to travel hands-free with Ultra Cruise on nearly every paved public road in the U.S. and Canada, including city streets, subdivision streets, and rural roads.
Key Points:
- Ultra Cruise is GM’s next-gen ADAS technology that aims to enable hands-free driving in 95% of driving scenarios.
- The system will use a combination of cameras, radars, LiDAR, and a driver attention system to ensure driver attention.
- GM expects that customers will be able to travel hands-free with Ultra Cruise on nearly every paved public road in the U.S. and Canada, including city streets, subdivision streets, and rural roads.
- The hardware will experience incremental enhancements through over-the-air software updates.
Bottom Line: GM’s Ultra Cruise represents a major step towards enabling hands-free driving in most driving scenarios. The system’s unique sensor suite and driver attention system aim to ensure driver safety, while over-the-air software updates promise to provide incremental enhancements to the technology. GM’s focus on expanding the accessibility of ADAS technology with Super Cruise and Ultra Cruise brings these technologies to more customers on more vehicles, in more regions, and at more price points.
