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Cadillac's semi-autonomous Super Cruise pushed back to 2017

It looks like General Motors is discovering just how difficult it is to bring autonomous vehicle technology fit for public consumption to market. The company has pushed back the launch of its semi-autonomous Super Cruise technology by several months. Originally promised by CEO Mary Barra for a fall 2016 debut, Super Cruise was supposed to be offered first on the new CT6 sedan. Automotive News is reporting that won't be the case, following a statement from GM confirming that the new system would be pushed to sometime in 2017. At the very least, that's a several month delay. GM cited the need to get the system right and keep owners safe, which prevented a firm date for Super Cruise's debut. Product boss Mark Reuss was more blunt, though, telling AN, "It will come out when it is ready." Super Cruise would be one of the earliest examples of driverless tech to be put into public hands, following the introduction of Tesla's semi-autonomous AutoPilot system in 2015. Most other automakers experimenting with the autonomous vehicles don't foresee public sales until early in the next decade, including Toyota, Renault-Nissan, and Volvo. Before Barra suggested a 2016 debut, GM originally aimed to introduce its semi-autonomous system in 2020. Related Video:

Confident new Cadillac marketing boss ready to take on Tesla, BMW

When there's a former BMW executive heading Cadillac's efforts to boost sales of its only plug-in, it's a pretty safe guess that the marketing emphasis won't be on environmental friendliness and tree-hugging tendencies. The General Motors luxury brand has appointed ex-Bimmer executive Uwe Ellinghaus to be its marketing chief late last year, and the German-born Ellinghaus is now saying that he's targeting potential customers of Tesla Motors, in addition to BMW, for potential growth in sales of the Cadillac ELR extended-range plug-in. Appointed to Cadillac's head of marketing last November, Ellinghaus recently told Advertising Age that GM needs to highlight the Cadillac's looks and performance. He complimented Tesla for putting more emphasis on those attributes in the Model S than on its lack of emissions or lack of refueling costs (but Tesla hasn't shied away from highlighting the EV's savings). Ellinghaus says that trying to gear advertising "for people who are tree-huggers and green-wash an entire brand" won't be successful. You don't say. So far, the ELR hasn't made much of a dent in US car sales. Through May, Cadillac, which spent about $280 million on all of its US marketing last year, sold 293 units, whereas Tesla had been approaching the 11,000-unit figure for the Model S. With that in mind, Cadillac may be working on a sportier version of the ELR, as spy shots of a test vehicle from May revealed larger brakes and wheels. You can read our First Drive impressions of the ELR here.

Cadillac updated the Escalade for 2021, and you can win one here

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. Touchscreens in cars are getting bigger and bigger, and the Cadillac Escalade is the prime example. With a 38-inch display up front and a 36-speaker surround sound system, all this Cadillac is missing is a place to keep your snacks. Oh wait, they thought of that too, with a fridge up front. All of this is great, but the best thing about the Cadillac Escalade is that Omaze is giving it away. Win a 2021 Cadillac Escalade and $20,000 - Enter at Omaze But the fun doesn’t end in the front seat. In the second row there are large screens as well, so you can binge watch your favorite TV show on your next road trip, assuming youÂ’re not driving. To top it off, if youÂ’re stuck way in the back, thereÂ’s Conversation Enhancement, so you wonÂ’t have to yell in order for the driver to hear what youÂ’re saying.  With all of this technology, itÂ’s easy to forget the original purpose of the Escalade, to get you from one place to another, in style, which it does incredibly well thanks to a 420 horsepower, 6.2L V8. Plus, this Escalade comes with something the others donÂ’t: $20,000 in cash. Here's what we said about the 2021 Escalade in our First Drive review: "The 6.2-liter V8 remains a gem of an engine. ItÂ’s powerful and flexible, and the 10-speed makes great use of its strengths. It's hardly fuel efficient, though. Over the course of our 58-mile test loop, we averaged just under 16 mpg, which pretty much confirms the EPA's ratings of 14 mpg in the city, 19 mpg on the highway and 16 combined. The latter is 2 mpg worse than the more powerful Navigator, a number that amounts to many hundreds of dollars in annual fuel costs. We would have liked to spend some time with the new diesel engine for comparison, but both it and the Super Cruise option are coming later this year, so that will have to wait, but based on the EPA figures for GMÂ’s full-size pickups with the same engine, weÂ’d expect somewhere in the neighborhood of low 20s combined from the oil-burner. "As delightful as the EscaladeÂ’s powertrain is, thatÂ’s not its standout feature; that honor goes to the suspension. All but the base model Escalade can be equipped with CadillacÂ’s fourth-generation Magnetic Ride Control.