General Motors will debut new Super Cruise features on six different vehicles during the first quarter of 2022. Enhanced versions of Super Cruise will be available on select 2022 model year vehicles, including the Cadillac Escalade, CT4, and CT5; the GMC Hummer EV Pickup and Sierra; and the Chevrolet Silverado. According to GM, Super Cruise will be available on 22 vehicles by 2023, including the Cadillac LYRIQ and GMC Hummer EV SUV. The 2022 Cadillac XT6 and the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV currently offer Super Cruise.
“We’re excited to expand Super Cruise to even more new models with additional capabilities to provide our customers with even more opportunities to go hands-free,” said Mario Maiorana, Super Cruise chief engineer. “The additional Super Cruise-enabled vehicles and new features are an important step toward our goal of enabling hands-free driving 95 percent of the time and getting people more comfortable with letting go of the wheel.”
What Is Super Cruise?
The technology was initially launched in 2017 and was only available, at that time, on Cadillac vehicles (hence the original name, “Cadillac Super Cruise”). GM is now starting to make Super Cruise more available across its entire lineup.
Super Cruise can automatically steer, brake, and keep the vehicle positioned on the highway in certain, optimal conditions. With an attentive driver, and under the proper conditions, Super Cruise permits hands-free vehicle operation. Currently, Super Cruise is available on more than 200,000 miles of compatible roads in the U.S. and Canada. With the help of a new Enhanced Navigation Display and embedded Google Maps app, drivers can easily see which roads are compatible with Super Cruise.
Super Cruise employs a driver attention system and precision LiDAR map data, along with a network of cameras and sensors that use real-time information. Combining data from each of these points helps govern and control the steering, braking, and acceleration.
Automated Lane Change
Since its debut in 2017, Super Cruise has seen a few significant upgrades in terms of capability. One such feature is known as Automated Lane Change, or Lane Change on Demand. It allows the GM vehicle, when Super Cruise is engaged and if certain conditions are met, to change lanes automatically on the highway when the driver taps the turn signal. Super Cruise looks for what GM describes as an “acceptable opening” on the road. Should Super Cruise determine the desired lane is open, the vehicle will begin merging automatically. At that time, the gauge cluster flashes a message indicating the lane change has started. The system displays messages such as “looking for an opening” or “changing lanes” to keep the driver informed at all times.
The driver attention system, a central component of Super Cruise, still requires the driver to focus during the lane change. Should the driver turn away or become distracted while Super Cruise is engaged, the system will initiate a prompt. And if Automated Lane Change is unavailable for any reason, Super Cruise reverts back to the driver. “In addition to the automated lane change functionality, we’ve made improvements to the user interface and hands-free driving dynamics,” Maiorana added.
Towing Capability
According to GM, the enhanced versions of Super Cruise allow customers to tow their boat, camper, or another trailer hands-free. Such capability is expected for the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali, Hummer EV, and 2022 Cadillac Escalade.
Super Cruise will join a newly revised and upgraded list of driver-assistance features for the GMC Sierra. In 2020, GMC announced that both its Sierra 1500 and HD truck lines would be available with advanced safety features tailored to the specific use cases buyers are apt to encounter on a daily basis. For example, new features like Trailer Length Indicator and Jack-Knife Alert will assist when towing, especially on the highway and during bad weather. Features like Cargo Bed Zoom and Bed Hitch Guidance will help when attaching a fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailer.
Further Reading
More information on Super Cruise, including how to engage the feature, can be found in this helpful guide. If you would like to go further, click on the banner below. As part of our 2021 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Guide by manufacturer, we spoke at length with engineers and other representatives from the GM Super Cruise team. They provided us a more in-depth explanation of the technology, which we published in our guide.
