General Motors was previously bullish about introducing semi-autonomous driving features, readying its Super Cruise system to launch with the CT6 this fall. GM pushed the technology’s introduction back to 2017, and now the automaker is apparently re-evaluating its self-driving plan. At a cybersecurity conference in Detroit on Friday, GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said that the company is taking another “look at what technology is in the best interest of consumers.”
The comments come on the heels of the fatal Tesla Model S crash involving Autopilot that occurred in May. Super Cruise is said to be similar to Autopilot, which could be why GM is taking its time with the launch. According to The Detroit Bureau, Barra told reporters in Detroit regarding Super Cruise, “We aren’t putting a specific date on it.” However, Cadillac spokesman Donny Nordlicht told us in an email, “Right now, the plan continues to be that we will introduce [Super Cruise] in the Cadillac CT6 in calendar year 2017.”
“We want to make sure it is safe for our customers to use and we’ll launch it when we’re confident in the technology,” Nordlicht said. “Our engineers have been testing and validating the technology for the past several years to make sure all of our systems are focused on providing the customer among the most intuitive and safe solutions. We’re not driven by a deadline, we’re driven to make the system customer-friendly and safe so the exact month of introduction cannot be announced at this time.”
Super Cruise may have a leg up on Tesla’s current Autopilot system when it launches. The system uses forward-facing cameras and radar just like Autopilot, but it also relies on a high-definition map that’s more detailed than those used in today’s cars. Super Cruise also has a retina detection system that knows when a driver isn’t paying attention, and will shut off if it sees the driver is not ready to take control.
Though the May 7 fatal crash has certainly affected Tesla, NHTSA director Mark Rosekind doesn’t believe the incident should affect autonomous car development as a whole.
“If we wait for perfect, we’ll be waiting for a very, very long time,” Rosekind said at a recent conference. “How many lives might we be losing while we wait?”
Source: The Detroit Bureau
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