1998 Cadillac Deville Limousine on 2040-cars

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Combine a self-driving car with V2V, and here's what happens

Transportation engineers have started laying the groundwork for a traffic world in which cars communicate with other cars and infrastructure like bridges and traffic lights. How about an environment in which cars talk to pretty much everything and everyone? In a preview of its offerings at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, Delphi Automotive will deploy just such a concept. Engineers have designed a system that communicates with traffic signals, street signs, pedestrians, cyclists, even to fry pits and parking garages along a driver's route. To date, engineers and researchers across the auto industry have focused on the technical and safety-oriented foundation of future vehicle-to-vehicle communications, which could help cars share information about everything from traffic tie-ups to upcoming road hazards. Beyond those building blocks, many have projected that V2V could also include more consumer-focused features. Delphi's system, dubbed V2Everything, might be the first that combines those sorts of features in a tangible package. At CES in Las Vegas, scheduled to begin the first week of January, company officials say they'll demonstrate in real-world conditions how V2V technology can be used in an autonomous vehicle to provide a range of critical safety information and leisure and convenience options for riders. The first V2V technology installed on a production car is slated to appear on the 2017 Cadillac CTS. "We imagine a world with zero traffic accidents," said Jeff Owens, Delphi's chief technology officer. "To get there, we will need a convergence of active safety, sensor fusion, connectivity platforms and advanced software." Such software might allow a vehicle to start searching for and reserving parking spots at a programmed destination long before arriving. It could allow riders to place their McDonald's drive-through order from the road and have the food ready for pickup along the route. For the drive itself, the Delphi-equipped car can stay updated on the status of traffic lights around Las Vegas, and can anticipate yellow and red lights. Using smart-phone technology, the car can detect pedestrians and cyclists that may otherwise be hard to see. It can send messages to friends or family to notify them of a driver's location. Some of those features have been available on third-party apps or individually developed by automakers. But this system marries them together in a single system that is tailored for use in self-driving cars.

President Trump's new limo spotted testing at high speed

What you're looking at is no ordinary limo. Look past the swirly camouflage and you'll see what appears to be a Cadillac, but don't let those looks fool you. This is the new Beast, otherwise known as Cadillac One, and codenamed by the Secret Service as Stagecoach. This is the car that will shuttle President Trump to and fro. It's hard to get a sense of scale from these images, but this car is huge. It's very likely built atop a heavy-duty truck platform, which is necessary due to the thick armor-like bodywork that's hermetically sealed to keep POTUS safe and sound. It's hard to tell for certain, but it appears this Beastie is riding on Goodyear Regional RHS II tires, which would otherwise be used on trucks and buses. Translation: this thing is heavy. The Beast is ostensibly badged as a Cadillac, and it wears the latest version of Caddy's corporate grille, badge, and upright headlamps at the front. From the rear, there's a hint of Rolls-Royce Phantom, with rear glass that tapers elegantly into the deck lid. In between is a massive slab-sided passenger compartment that's rumored to seat as many as seven passengers. These shots were snapped at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. It seems The Beast is undergoing some high-speed tests, though high-speed here is relative. Those Goodyears are only rated for 70 miles per hour or so, and we doubt the big 8.1-liter gasoline-fueled V8 engine is geared to push the President much faster than that, anyway. Related Video:

GM will expand Super Cruise to entire U.S. lineup after 2020

General Motors plans to bring its Super Cruise semi- autonomous highway driving technology to its entire U.S. lineup after it rolls it out to all Cadillac vehicles in 2020. Mark Reuss, GM's executive vice president for global product development, made the announcement at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America conference in Detroit. Automotive News reports he also announced plans to offer vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication in a high-volume Cadillac crossover by 2023 — technology that will also eventually spread across the luxury brand's portfolio. Super Cruise is GM's semi-autonomous, lane-centering driving system that uses lidar mapping, GPS, cameras and sensors. The system offers hands-free driving on the highway, with an infrared camera and lights that track the driver's head position to make sure the driver is paying attention, ready to take over when needed, and not nodding off. If it senses the driver is unresponsive, it can bring the vehicle to a stop on the shoulder and activate OnStar. Super Cruise is already an option on the 2018 CT6 and standard on the Platinum trim model. You can read our First Drive review of the technology here. Meanwhile, Cadillac launched vehicle-to-vehicle technology in the 2017 CTS sedan, allowing equipped Cadillacs to share information regarding speed, direction and location at distances of up to 980 feet to help avoid collisions. By going one step further with V2X, Cadillac can tip off drivers to hazardous road conditions, the status of traffic lights, work zones and threats of crashes. It's the first major announcement from the luxury brand since the departure of former CEO Johan de Nysschen and his replacement by Steve Carlisle in April. Related Video: Image Credit: Cadillac Cadillac GM Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles cadillac ct6 vehicle to vehicle communications Super Cruise