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GM Super Cruise is evolving into Ultra Cruise, for hands-off city driving

GM has a "big team" working on an advanced version of its hands-free driving assistance system, Super Cruise, that will expand its capability beyond highways and apply it to city streets, the automaker's vice president of global product development Doug Parks said Tuesday. GM is also continuing to improve its existing Super Cruise product, Parks said during a webcasted interview at Citi’s 2020 Car of the Future Symposium. "As we continue to ratchet up Super Cruise, we continue to add capability and not just highway roads," Parks said, adding that a separate team is working on the hands-free city driving product known internally as "Ultra Cruise." "We're trying to take that same capability off the highway," he said. "Ultra cruise would be all of the Super Cruise plus the neighborhoods, city streets and subdivisions. So Ultra Cruise's domain would be  essentially all driving, all the time." Parks was quick to add that this would not be autonomous driving. Advanced driving assistance systems have become more capable, but they still require a human driver to take control and to be paying attention. "What we're not saying is that Ultra Cruise will be fully autonomous 100% of the time, although that could be one of the end games," Parks said. Parks didn't provide a timeline for when Ultra Cruise might be available. A GM spokesperson said in a statement after his interview that the company continues to expand its hands-free driver assistance system technology across its vehicle portfolio and has "teams looking at how we can expand the capabilities to more scenarios." GM said it "does not have a name or anything specific to announce today, but stay tuned." This new Ultra Cruise feature would put it in competition with Tesla's Autopilot advanced driving system, which is largely viewed as the most capable on the market today. Tesla's "full self-driving" package, a more capable version of Autopilot, can now identify stop signs and traffic lights and automatically slows the car to a stop on approach. This feature is still considered to be in beta. GM's Super Cruise uses a combination of lidar map data, high-precision GPS, cameras and radar sensors, as well as a driver attention system, which monitors the person behind the wheel to ensure theyÂ’re paying attention. Unlike TeslaÂ’s Autopilot driver assistance system, users of Super Cruise do not need to have their hands on the wheel. However, their eyes must remain directed straight ahead.

All-new 2019 Cadillac XT4 crossover debuts in New York

Cadillac spent years and years improving its mainline sedans, the CTS and ATS, turning them into awfully good impressions of BMWs from a few years before. The thing is, great sedans aren't selling, and crossovers sure are. Cadillac's XT5 is the only crossover in the lineup, something that's had American Cadillac dealers gnashing their teeth and wailing — although anyone they can upsell into an Escalade can staunch the bleeding. That brings us to the new XT4, which is smaller than the XT5 but even sharper than its bigger sibling. Let's take a closer look at this new two-row luxury crossover. For one, it's based on what Cadillac calls a unique platform. That may be true, technically, although it's likely related to the Equinox/Terrain on some level. Platforms are becoming quite flexible: Look at Volkswagen's MQB, under everything from Euro hatches smaller than our Golf to the three-row Atlas. Whatever else it is underneath the skin, all XT4s will share one powertrain: the corporate 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four, paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission. View 14 Photos The engine puts out a healthy 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, putting it just a hair underneath its closest domestic rival, the Lincoln MKC with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost. Of course, the 2.3-liter MKC beats the XT4 handily, but that's another story. Power is produced with the help of a twin-scroll turbocharger. All-wheel drive is available, with a driver-selectable rear axle disconnect to save a small amount of rolling friction. Cadillac estimates it'll be good for 30 MPG on the freeway, but we haven't seen official results to confirm that. A few other changes that'll affect driving: electro-hydraulic brake assist, a first for Cadillac and mainly a fuel-saving measure; and Continuous Damping Control, which alters the damper's valve continuously based on a number of parameters. It's almost certainly used here because it's lighter and less expensive than air suspension or MagneRide, and it is optional on XT4. CDC or no, all XT4s utilize a front strut and five-link rear suspension. All XT4s also ride on 18-inch wheels in various designs. The trim strategy is mildly interesting. The base model is the Luxury, and then you can choose a Sport (black exterior trim, unique wheels) or a Premium Luxury (bright trim and satin-brushed accents). The interior options are suitably upscale and premium, and we'll have more to say about them a little later when we can see this car up close.

2020 Cadillac XT6 Sport Drivers' Notes | We have many mixed opinions

The 2020 Cadillac XT6 is Cadillac’s long-awaited answer to the numerous three-row luxury crossovers that have been on sale for years. It is not a shrunken Escalade. Instead, GM decided to pull one of its other well-used platforms for duty, with the XT6 being most similar to the GMC Acadia underneath. That means the Cadillac is rolling with similar running gear, too. Under the hood is a 3.6-liter V6 making 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, but our Sport model has an upgraded all-wheel-drive system. It also has some other special mechanical bits to make it better than the standard XT6. For example, the Sport trim has continuously variable dampers that stiffen in Sport mode. That upgraded all-wheel drive system adds twin clutches on the axles to facilitate torque vectoring. And the steering ratio is changed to 15:1, as opposed to the 16:1 ratio used on Premium Luxury trim models. This XT6 Sport also features some exterior and interior finishes not seen on other XT6 models. Black trim dominates outside, headlined by a large, black mesh grille. Then on the inside, we get real carbon fiber trim. There are plenty of cool features like CadillacÂ’s Night Vision and the rear camera mirror, but Super Cruise still isnÂ’t available as an option on this Cadillac. GM has promised a wider adoption of Super Cruise for its lineup in the future, but weÂ’re not there yet. Before options, our XT6 Sport came in at $58,090, including the $995 destination charge. The $3,700 Platinum package adds semi-aniline leather seats, a suede headliner and premium carpeting throughout the cabin. A $2,350 Enhanced Visibility and Tech package brings us the eight-inch instrument cluster digital display, a head-up display, rear camera mirror, rear pedestrian alert and an automatic parking assist feature. Then, a $1,300 Driver Assist package adds adaptive cruise control and enhanced automatic emergency braking, including rear braking. Our car also has the $750 Comfort and Air Quality package, which adds heated rear seats, cooled front seats and an air ionizer for the cabin. The pretty Red Horizon Tintcoat costs $1,225, and the fancy Night Vision option adds another $2,000. That brings us to our grand total of $71,190.