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Last year, General Motors filed a trademark for something called "Ultra Cruise". The company has never explained what Ultra Cruise is, but that would seem to refer to the well-known advanced driver badistance system of the auto giant Super Cruise. Today, Mary Barra, CEO of GM, provides us with some additional details, but not enough to have an overview.
On Thursday, Itay Michaeli of Citi Research interviewed Barra about Super Cruise and followed up on how GM "could be marketed with the new generation Ultra Cruise system?"
Barra's answer suggested that the new technology would have even more capacity than Super Cruise. Or could she confuse Ultra Cruise with Super Cruise? Honestly, it's hard to say.
Here's what she said: "As you mentioned with Ultra Cruise, it's a technology you've seen us continue to improve with the number of usable slots. We will continue to add capabilities. And we are very excited about this and the roadmap we have. We will therefore implement it as quickly as possible, again emphasizing security. "
At first glance, it would seem that Barra is suggesting that Ultra Cruise will be a more successful version of Super Cruise, the highly automated system developed by Cadillac, which is as close to autonomous driving as anyone can get today. in a production vehicle. How, however, is hard to say. It's really one of those CEO quotes that contains a lot of words, but that does not make much sense behind.
In its debut in 2017, Super Cruise immediately made comparisons with the Tesla autopilot system. It uses LIDAR cameras, radar and map data, combined with a robust driver monitoring system, to reduce the stress of highway driving. When they are engaged, drivers can lift their feet off the pedals and hands from the steering wheel, and the car does the rest. It's a hands-free driving in the most real sense.
This does not mean, however, that drivers can read their phone or get in the back seat and take a nap: a driver-facing camera mounted on the steering column monitors the eye movements of drivers to ensure their attention remains on the road.
The main problem of Super Cruise, so far, has been the rarity. Since its debut two years ago, Super Cruise is only loaded in one vehicle: the CT6 sedan. But that changed recently, when Cadillac unveiled its second vehicle with Super Cruise, the 2020 CT5 sedan. Starting in 2020, the automaker plans to launch a new model with Super Cruise every six months until the end of the year 2021. This means four new models with Super Cruise in two years.
Earlier this year, GM engineers said The edge that Super Cruise was undergoing a major upgrade. During the call for results, Barra provided additional information: an additional 70,000 km of compatible divided highway and 200,000 km of highway at the end of the year.
"More than 85% of current CT6 owners have said that for a future vehicle, they would prefer or consider only a vehicle equipped with Super Cruise," said Barra.
But what about Ultra Cruise? Is it something between Super Cruise and Cruise Automation, GM's arm's length subsidiary? We contacted a GM spokesperson, but they would not say anything.
"As you know, we have made several improvements to Super Cruise and will continue to do so to make Super Cruise the most advantageous system for our customers," said the spokesperson. "We are constantly exploring new technologies and the benefits they can bring to our customers, but we have nothing to announce with regard to future products."
Time will tell if Ultra Cruise is something to consider. Meanwhile, the company is still struggling with the consequences of its decision to delay the launch of its driverless taxi service. The self-driving division, which lost $ 280 million in the previous quarter, has not yet announced the postponement of the start of its project.
"I will not put a specific time there," Barra said. "I would just say we have a line of sight."
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