General Motors (GM) has decided to integrate its Ultra Cruise semi-autonomous driver assistance system with the existing Super Cruise system, rather than maintaining two separate programs. This decision, emerging amidst speculation of Ultra Cruise’s cancellation, reflects a strategic shift in GM’s approach to automated driving technology.
Ultra Cruise, announced in 2021 with an anticipated launch in 2023, was poised to be an evolution of the Super Cruise system, offering enhanced hands-free driving capabilities on a broader network of roads in the U.S. and Canada. Designed to operate on 2 million roads covering 3.4 million miles, Ultra Cruise aimed to significantly surpass the scope of Super Cruise, which currently enables extended highway driving across 400,000 miles of North American roads.
Following a report that GM may be cancelling the Ultra Cruise program, GM spokesperson Aimee Ridella clarified to InsideEVs that the company is realigning its resources to enhance the capabilities of Super Cruise under a single, recognizable consumer brand.
This integration effectively merges the advanced technologies of Ultra Cruise with the established and well-known Super Cruise system.
The decision to integrate Ultra Cruise into Super Cruise is partly a marketing strategy. Super Cruise’s established brand recognition outweighs that of Ultra Cruise. GM aims to streamline its approach to automated driving, focusing on elevating the Super Cruise brand with enhanced features and capabilities drawn from the Ultra Cruise program. This strategic shift demonstrates GM’s commitment to advancing automated driving technology while consolidating its efforts under a single, more recognizable system.
Super Cruise, first introduced in 2017 on the Cadillac CT6, has been classified as a Level 2 semi-autonomous technology. Over the years, it has been upgraded and expanded to various GM models, including electric vehicles like the Chevrolet Bolt and the Cadillac Lyriq. The latest iteration of Super Cruise includes features like automatic lane-changing, garnering acclaim as one of the superior ADAS technologies available.
