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Cadillac Super Cruise, a hands-off review

Cadillac Super Cruise won't let you eat breakfast behind the wheel, climb in the back seat or any of the other stupid human tricks displayed on YouTube by Tesla owners. It even won't allow the car to change lanes on its own, like Tesla Autopilot. But it's a big step on the road to full autonomy, a huge convenience on long-distance road trips and a substantial technological triumph for Cadillac. In the simplest terms, Super Cruise is a lane-centering enhancement to adaptive cruise control (ACC). But Super Cruise is anything but simple. Its technical complexity — hence its long delay after first being unveiled five years ago — belies its straightforward operation and intuitive user interface, which I discovered on an almost 750-mile, 11-hour drive in a 2018 Cadillac CT6 between Dallas and Santa Fe to test the system. LOADS OF LIMITATIONS First, let's dispense with the details and disclaimers. Super Cruise is standard on the 2018 CT6 Platinum and a $5,000 option on other trim levels. Because Super Cruise is supported by OnStar — an OnStar operator will call to find out if first responders need to be sent in a worst-case scenario — a three-year OnStar Super Cruise Package is included with the system. Super Cruise has loads of limitations that are probably more concerning to GM's legal counsel than they were to me during my long drive. Some are no-brainers, such as not for use in construction zones or for driving on the shoulder. But the system can also be stymied by adverse weather, poor visibility and faded lane markings. Super Cruise only works on freeways with on and off ramps and a center divider. ACC and forward collision warning also need to be engaged, and the system's cameras and radar sensors can't be obstructed. To keep drivers from looking away from the road for too long — and to keep the system active — an infrared camera on top of the steering column keeps an electronic eye on the driver's seat. GM has over 100 patents alone on this Driver Attention System, including an algorithm that triangulates the nose, eyes and ears in case the camera can't see through sunglasses to make sure you're not nodding off. In addition to the car's visible sensors, another major component of the system is something you don't see: mapping software. But not the kludgy kind that powers in-dash navigation systems.

Cadillac launching crossover-heavy product offensive

Utilizing information provided by Cadillac suppliers, Reuters says that Cadillac is preparing two more crossovers that will bow after its current product initiative is complete. According to the report, a year after the next SRX arrives in 2016, a pair of CUVs will be unveiled that will bracket it in size, and they'll be headed for the US and Chinese markets.
That is years away, though. For now, the company's attentions are on the nearly here CTS and ELR range-extended coupe, the next Escalade SUV (shown above), an ATS coupe, and the range-topper that will sit above the XTS. That, and possibly an even more impressive range-topper that promises to be the mean and majestic super-luxe unicorn Cadillac we've been dreaming about for more than a decade now.
In response to the issue of how German crossovers might be having an impact on Cadillac's future plans, a company source said - rightly, we think - "we don't need to duplicate the Germans." That doesn't mean, however, that it can't wade deeper into a market segment that the Germans are making a ton of money in. In fact, and since everyone is doing it, we'd be surprised if Cadillac didn't, even if it won't happen for another four years.

Weekly Recap: Car-pedestrian crashes remained elevated in 2014

The death of American Horror Story: Freak Show star Ben Woolf served as a reminder this week that car crashes involving pedestrians remain a problem, and a new study issued on Thursday reinforced that the situation isn't really getting better. The Governors Highway Safety Association found a slight decline, 2.8 percent, in the number of pedestrian deaths in the first six months of 2014. Fatalities dropped from 2,141 to 2,125 compared with the same period in 2013, though the association says it's a statistical wash when factoring in undercounting. Deaths are still 15-percent higher than in 2009. "The number of deaths remains relatively high and is cause for concern," wrote Allan Williams, who compiled the report and is the former chief scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This is the first look at data from last year, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will issue its full-year results later. The GHSA found some progress on the roadways, as 24 states and the District of Columbia reported drops in pedestrian deaths. In some states, the problem isn't even a problem at all: Nebraska and Wyoming reported one fatality apiece, though large population centers in urban areas are where most accidents occur. "This is a clearly a good news, bad news scenario," Jonathan Adkins, GHSA executive director, said in a statement. "While we're encouraged that pedestrian fatalities haven't increased over the past two years, progress has been slow." Other News & Notes Cadillac previews CT6 during Oscars Cadillac previewed its upcoming flagship sedan, the CT6, in commercials that aired Sunday during the Oscars. As expected, the creased sedan carries on Cadillac's recent design language, and the car in the commercial looks like a larger version of the CTS and ATS sedans. The CT6 will be revealed this spring at the New York Auto Show and launch late this year. It will be assembled at General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck factory on a rear-wheel-drive chassis, and the CT6 is the first car to use Cadillac's revised alpha-numeric naming scheme. The commercials also kicked off Cadillac's "Dare Greatly" campaign, which is the first with its new advertising agency, Publicis Worldwide. Honda unexpectedly changes CEOs Honda unexpectedly announced this week that it will change CEOs. Current chief Takanobu Ito will step down in June and be replaced by company veteran Takahiro Hachigo.