When it comes to Super Cruise, GM has been reaping a big winfall. The subscription based feature has proven to be a hit with customers and the tech has slowly evolved since it first made its appearance a few years ago.

However, the technology is preparing to take a key evolutionary step forward with GM revealing the system will now get LiDAR and Eyes-Off driving capabilities in time for the 2028.

Escalade IQ to get it first

GM revealed the news during its GM Forward event in New York City with the carmaker stating “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. And soon, seeing the road ahead may not even be a requirement.” The first half of that statement is in the form of a new “eyes free” driving mode which will make its debut in Super Cruise in time for the 2028 model year. The first model to get this feature is unsurprisingly, the Cadillac Escalade IQ which is in line with its role as a rolling flagship model.

As the name implies, the new system will allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel but they don’t have to be focused on the road which frees them up to do other tasks. This is also a hallmark feature of Level 3 autonomy and would be a step up from the Level 2 functionality Super Cruise currently operates at. The Slade itself gets a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor bubble and turquoise lights will appear in the mirrors when the system is active to let other motorists know its active.

“We now have [standard Super Cruise] on 23 models, and we did that quite quickly, once we could,” Barra said, noting that its pace was slowed by the pandemic-related chip shortage. “This is something that you’ll see us roll up much, much faster than Super Cruise.”

Will it work on all mapped freeways?

The big question here is whether the Level 3 function will work on all of the roads GM has mapped out? The company didn’ reveal whether all of the highways mapped will be compatible but execs did say that consumers have logged over 700 million miles with Super Cruise and thanks to tech it developed at its now shuttered Cruise Robotaxi service, GM is poised to add 5 million more miles of roadways to its mapped network in the near future.

The automaker’s setup also appars to be above Tesla’s FSD system whihc uses cameras to visually keep track of the road but it requires the driver to be paying attention to the road to be used properly.

“Unlike vision-only systems, GM’s approach is built on redundancy with LIDAR, radar, and cameras integrated into the vehicle’s design,” the automaker said. “At the core is sensor fusion: the LIDAR, radar, and cameras build the perception layer; real-world driving data trains the decision-making model; and high-fidelity simulation validates performance across rare or hazardous scenarios. This provides a safe, reliable, and highly capable eyes-off autonomous system.” 

GM would be in a very elite club once the LiDar system and the associated Level 3 components enter service in the Escalade IQ. The only other automaker to offer Level 3 driving capability in the United States is Mercedes-Benz and its Drive Pilot feature, but the German automaker only offers it in California and Nevada. In addition to the limited geography, Benz also has restrictions with drivers only being able to use it on freeways, during clear weather, at speeds under 40 mph and during daytime driving with the system not being able to work at night.