TL;DR
Get bike and ride gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
GM says an updated Cadillac Escalade IQ due in 2028 will introduce eyes-off highway driving, with the technology planned for later expansion to gas-powered trucks and SUVs. The company also described a longer-term “Mission Mode” for off-highway driving and errands, but has not announced availability, pricing or how the system would operate without an occupant.
General Motors says an updated Cadillac Escalade IQ planned for 2028 will bring eyes-off highway driving to consumers, as the automaker works toward autonomy that could eventually let trucks and SUVs run errands without their owners aboard. GM presented the plan as a long-term vision, not a promise that unattended grocery or dry-cleaning trips will be available in 2028.
The first step GM described is an eyes-off system for highway driving in the refreshed electric Escalade IQ. According to The Drive’s report on the New York presentation, the system builds on Super Cruise, GM’s existing hands-free driver-assistance technology. GM has not disclosed the new system’s official name. The report says occupants could watch a movie while the vehicle drives on the highway, but provides no technical details about where the system will work or what it will require of the person in the vehicle.
GM plans to extend the technology beyond the luxury electric SUV to gas-powered vehicles, including full-size light-duty trucks and SUVs. Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson said the company is not developing a Level 3 system under the SAE automation framework. He described GM’s approach as autonomy that does not require the driver’s attention, followed eventually by capabilities beyond highway driving.
Anderson referred to the proposed expansion into off-highway autonomy as “Mission Mode.” He said the long-term system could handle tasks such as collecting laundry or picking up groceries without the owner in the vehicle. That capability remains a stated future goal: GM did not give a launch date, explain how an empty vehicle would be dispatched, or specify which errands it could perform.
From Highway Driving to Errands
The proposal would move GM’s autonomy ambitions beyond reducing the effort of a commute. Eyes-off highway driving could give occupants time to do other things during a journey, while a later service that sends a vehicle out on its own would change how owners use a truck or SUV for routine trips. Those are potential benefits, not features GM has confirmed for sale.
The announcement also leaves practical questions for buyers. GM has not said what the system will cost, whether it will require a subscription, or which vehicles beyond the planned Escalade IQ would receive it and when. Availability, operating limits and the rules for using a vehicle without an occupant will matter as much as the promised convenience.
hands-free driver assistance system for trucks
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Super Cruise as the Starting Point
GM’s current point of reference is Super Cruise, its hands-free driver-assistance system. The Drive reported that Super Cruise has logged more than 1.2 billion hands-free miles across nearly 750,000 vehicles. Those figures describe use of the existing system; they do not establish the performance or readiness of GM’s planned eyes-off technology.
GM said it is working with thousands of customers who volunteered to share data for its autonomous-driving program. The company says that data helps build models for the system to learn from. It also reported that its test systems run more than three billion virtual miles per day. That is a company-reported simulation figure, not miles driven by customer vehicles on public roads.
GM framed its overall ambition as building vehicles that can drive themselves or their occupants where they need to go. The 2028 Escalade IQ plan is the first dated consumer step described in the report; the broader truck, SUV and errand capabilities are longer-term aims.
“We are not developing L3 autonomy.”
— Sterling Anderson, GM chief product officer
autonomous SUV and truck technology
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Price, Limits and Availability
GM has not announced the eyes-off system’s price or subscription terms, its official name, or the roads and conditions where it will operate. The company also has not said when the planned technology will reach trucks and gas-powered SUVs after the Escalade IQ, or whether those vehicles will have the same capabilities.
Details on “Mission Mode” are even less developed in the report. It does not explain whether the vehicle would travel empty, how owners would request an errand, how deliveries or pickups would work, or what safety and regulatory requirements would apply. GM’s stated goal does not confirm that an unattended errand service is approved, scheduled or ready for public use.
The report gives no technical description of how the driver’s attention will be monitored or what happens if the system reaches a situation it cannot handle. Anderson’s comments establish that GM says it is not pursuing Level 3 autonomy; they do not, by themselves, specify the system’s final automation classification or operating responsibilities.
vehicle for errands and grocery pickup
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The Road to the 2028 Escalade
The next stated milestone is the launch of an updated Cadillac Escalade IQ in 2028, which GM says will bring eyes-off highway driving to public roads in consumers’ hands. The company has not provided a more precise launch date or a detailed product specification in the material reported by The Drive.
More information will be needed to establish which roads qualify, what the driver must do before and during a trip, and how GM will price access. Any later move toward off-highway “Mission Mode” and errands will depend on further development; GM has not given a timetable for that phase.
electric SUV with eyes-off highway driving
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
When does GM expect eyes-off driving to reach consumers?
GM says an updated Cadillac Escalade IQ planned for 2028 will introduce eyes-off highway driving. A specific launch date has not been announced.
Will GM trucks be able to run errands without an owner inside?
GM described unattended errands as a long-term goal under its proposed “Mission Mode” expansion into off-highway autonomy. The company has not confirmed a launch date or said which truck models would support it.
Is GM developing Level 3 autonomy?
No. Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson said, “We are not developing L3 autonomy.” GM has not provided the final classification or full operating details for its planned eyes-off system.
How much will the system cost?
GM has not announced a price or said whether access will require a subscription. The cost of the planned system remains unknown.
How is GM training its autonomous-driving systems?
GM says it is using data shared by thousands of customers who volunteered to take part, alongside virtual testing. The company reported more than three billion virtual miles per day for its test systems; that figure is not public-road mileage.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
