Cadillac already offers the only hands-free driver assistance feature available on a vehicle in the U.S. For the 2021 model year, the company is enhancing Super Cruise adding, among other technology, automated lane change functionality. This new capability will allow users to achieve hands-free lane changes on compatible highways when they make a request and certain conditions are met.
The new technological enhancements are made possible by the new General Motors digital platform, which allows for more electrical bandwidth and data processing power.
The new technology will debut in the 2021 Cadillac CT4 and CT5, the company’s new sedans.Photo courtesy of Cadillac
Here’s how the lane change functionality works. According to Cadillac,
When Super Cruise is engaged, the driver can either tap or fully latch the turn signal to indicate that they would like to change lanes. This will prompt the system to look for an acceptable opening in the indicated lane, while also taking time to let other cars know that a lane change is imminent. If the system determines that the indicated lane is open, the vehicle will merge into said lane. The driver attention system will continue to require the driver to focus on the surroundings during the lane change.
Upon initiation, the gauge cluster will display messages letting the driver know when the automated lane change has begun, or if lane change is unavailable and changing lanes must be manually completed by the driver. The system will display messages, such as “looking for an opening” or “changing lanes” to keep the driver informed on the status of the lane change.
“In order to add automated lane change and provide our customers with the same level of confidence that they currently have in Super Cruise,
we made improvements to both our software and hardware,” said Mario Maiorana, Super Cruise chief engineer. “This included improving rear-facing sensors and advanced software algorithms so that the system can confidently track vehicles approaching from the rear. As a result of these improvements, we are able to ensure that Super Cruise will hold in its current lane and only change when a sufficient gap exists.”
Cadillac has made other improvements to the system including richer map information to enable automated lane change and improved functionality through turns and highway interchanges, improved software for better steering and speed control, and easier and more intuitive Super Cruise functionality that allows drivers to more easily engage with the system.
Super Cruise launched in 2017 and currently is available for use on more than 200,000 miles of compatible highways in the U.S. and Canada.
Enhanced Super Cruise with automated lane change will be an option on the 2021 CT4 and CT5 sedans and the 2021 Escalade when those vehicles become available in the second half of 2020.
