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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.

2021 Cadillac Escalade First Drive | Opulence at a cost

The Cadillac Escalade is one of the most recognizable cars in America, both on the road and in the minds of consumers. It is equal parts profit machine and pop culture icon, and it sits atop GM’s heavy-hitting hierarchy of body-on-frame SUVs. Sure, Cadillac may hold most of the cards in the luxury SUV marketing game, but itÂ’s not the only player. For starters, the Lincoln Navigator is quite good, and it takes a very similar approach to truck-based luxury. Both are flashy, cushy and high-tech, and their tuning acknowledges that driving dynamics will never be the strong suit of vehicles this large – though ride comfort certainly can be. To make matters worse, the Europeans are getting serious about their three-row SUV game, and while they may not offer the same body-on-frame capability you get from the Americans, they more than make up for it with brand prestige and state-of-the-art engineering. With such solid competition, Cadillac was not in a position to just phone in the EscaladeÂ’s redesign. The highlight of that effort is a new platform, shared with the new Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, that finally features an independent rear suspension. There's also the gorgeous and tech-rich interior featuring a 38-inch curved OLED dash screen, a new diesel engine option and – stop us if youÂ’ve heard this one before – Super Cruise. While the Escalade does share its fundamentals with the Tahoe and Yukon, the Cadillac-branded variant of GMÂ’s big truck platform always gets special treatment. Only the very base model is available without a leather interior, for example, and the aforementioned in-cabin tech is exclusive to the Escalade. YouÂ’re also limited to just two engine options: the standard 420-horsepower V8 that's the range-topping option on GM's other SUVs, and the new 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel inline-six that's good for 277 hp and a V8-matching 460 pound-feet of torque. Both are paired with GMÂ’s 10-speed automatic transmission, and thereÂ’s no price difference, regardless of trim.   Like CadillacÂ’s other offerings, the 2021 Escalade has a split trim hierarchy. Above the base model, you can choose one of two paths: Premium or Sport. The Premium Luxury and Premium Luxury Platinum are your more traditional, flashier options, with lots of chrome and a rich, warm interior. The Sport and Sport Platinum are for those who prefer a more modern, subtle aesthetic, with blackout exterior trim and more subdued interior finishes.

Blackwings, a G 63 gets dirty and a wave of rad-era nostalgia | Autoblog Podcast #693

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd, who has spent the past few weeks sampling a near-endless string of enthusiast vehicles. They start off discussing Cadillac's 2022 CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing models, which Byron had the opportunity to drive at Virginia International Raceway. They follow that up with a discussion of the Mercedes-Benz AMG G 63, which Byron also drove on a track, albeit one of a very different sort. After that, some news. Greg and Byron run down the list of returning enthusiasts nameplates, including Integra, Z and Countach, and cap off by talking about what a third-generation Acura NSX might look like.  Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #693 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing First Drive 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing First Drive 2021 Mercedes-AMG G63 Off-Road Review News Mercedes shelves almost every V8 model for 2022 There will be a third-generation NSX, says Acura V.P. Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 revealed, basically a retro Sian 2023 Nissan Z is revealed with two turbos, 400 horsepower and six manual gears Acura Integra will return in 2022 after a long hiatus Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video: 2021 Mercedes-AMG G63 Off-Road Review -- The Forbidden Hoot | Autoblog