1999 Cadillac Deville Clean! V8 Auto Front Wheel Drive Leather. 167k Miles on 2040-cars

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Super Cruise’s failsafes

Even though Super Cruise is not a fully autonomous system, it incorporates redundancies like those used in aircraft to ensure failsafe operation. Before taking off on a 700-mile, 11-hour test drive of the system — and putting my life in its hands without my hands on the wheel — I sat down with Daryl Wilson, lead development engineer for Super Cruise, to get a deep dive into the system and its critical safety backups. Autoblog: First, what makes Super Cruise different from similar systems? Wilson: The key differentiator for Super Cruise is hand-free driving. It's an industry first in that respect. Our competitors require the driver at minimum to place their hands on the wheel with some frequency to ensure that the car knows that the driver is there. We don't. Two key technologies allow us to do this. One is our Driver Attention System, which is our methodology for making sure the driver is engaged with the vehicle and engaged with the road. This is a driver assist system, not a fully autonomous system. So it requires driver engagement. We use an infrared camera that constantly monitors the driver's face to determine the direction they're looking. We're looking for the driver to be what we call on-road — not on the center stack, not to left or right or down. That's all done by the tracking of the face. We also track that the eyes are open. It's infrared because at night you need to illuminate the face and you can't be shining a light into the driver's face. Then we have our lidar mapping that provides a foundation for control and redundancy to ensure safe performance. Autoblog: How does the mapping act as a redundant feature? Wilson: This system is only for use on divided, controlled access highways. What I mean by a divided highway is something more than a painted line between you and oncoming traffic. Whether that's a grassy area in between the lanes or a concrete barrier, anything that separates you from oncoming traffic. That's the divided highway part. The controlled access part is entrance ramps and exit ramps. Not with roads that cross at grade, with traffic crossing at the same level. To do that we geofenced these roads to ensure that operation is only allowed in these conditions. We don't just recommend you use it there; we ensure that you only use it there.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #326 LIVE!

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #326 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #326
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Here is the Cadillac XT6 three-row SUV's interior

The Cadillac XT6 has once again been spotted by one of our spy photographers. Though the outside is still as buttoned-up as ever, our photographer managed to get close enough to see the completely uncovered interior. On the surface it looks more like the interior of the CT6 than the latest Cadillac model, the XT4, which is rather surprising. Specifically, the dashboard layout is nearly identical to the CT6's. It's a wide, sweeping dash, and the mid-section is dominated by a broad piece of trim that appears to be carbon fiber in this model. It likely can be replaced by wood, leather or a variety of other trims. The top part of the center stack is dominated by a large touchscreen with touch buttons surrounding it for driver's aids. Directly underneath are subdued air vents followed by the climate controls. These controls appear to have been lifted straight from the CT6 and feature touch buttons and a trio of toggle switches. The few places the dashboard deviates from the CT6 include how the XT6's fancy trim spans the full width of the dash, rather than giving way to some plain leather on the driver's side. This gives the whole dash a more upscale look. The dash also doesn't try to smash too many different materials and textures into one design. Overall, it all looks attractive enough, though we're a little disappointed to see a lack of physical buttons as we saw in the XT4. That being said, there are XT4-inspired elements in the XT6's interior. Most prominent is the scroll wheel down in the center console. We suspect the infotainment system will be effectively identical, so the wheel will similarly serve as a redundant means of controlling the infotainment system along with the touchscreen, voice commands and wheel controls. The shifter also seems to be the same as the XT4's. The XT6 exterior doesn't really reveal anything new. It still looks angular, and it still looks long enough to have a third row of seats. The introduction of this model will certainly give Cadillac a much more rounded lineup of crossovers from small to large, something the brand sorely needs. Related Video: