General Motors has abandoned plans to introduce recent Ultra Cruise branding for a more advanced version of its Super Cruise automated driver-assist feature that’s currently within the works.
The knowledge was first reported last week by CNBC and has since been confirmed to Motor Authority in a press release from GM.
In line with the automaker, it doesn’t plan to cut back its targeted capability for Ultra Cruise. As a substitute, that capability shall be rolled into Super Cruise, thus maintaining a single branding that is already recognized by consumers.
The potential promised for Ultra Cruise will arrive later than planned, nonetheless. It was originally on account of launch in 2024 as an over-the-air update, starting with the Cadillac Celestiq flagship EV. A brand new timeline hasn’t been announced.
GM Ultra Cruise
Ultra Cruise was promised as an automatic driver-assist feature capable of handle 95% of U.S. roads, and ranked at Level 2 on the SAE scale of self-driving capability, similar to Super Cruise. Level 2 means a vehicle that may handle itself in certain situations but requires the motive force to observe the situation in any respect times and be able to take motion when crucial.
Level 3 is the primary level where a driver can take their eyes off the road, albeit only for brief periods. Mercedes-Benz is the one automaker offering such a system, though the Mercedes system, often known as Drive Pilot, has strict conditions, including a severely limited variety of highways where it might operate.
GM-backed self-driving technology company Cruise, of which GM owns greater than 80%, has also hit a roadblock. Cruise had a robotaxi service running in San Francisco until late last 12 months, when the corporate was forced to stop the service after California’s DMV determined the corporate’s robotaxis to be unsafe for public operation.
The DMV made the choice following an Oct. 2 crash by which a pedestrian was thrown into the trail of a Cruise robotaxi after being hit by one other vehicle. The robotaxi initially stopped but then drove a further 20 feet, dragging the pedestrian with it. The crash remains to be being investigated and Cruise hasn’t said when its service will begin operating again.
This Article First Appeared At www.motorauthority.com
