General Motors plans to bring autonomous driving beyond robotaxis and into retail vehicles, with its first eyes-off driving system scheduled to launch in 2028 on the Cadillac Escalade IQ.
GM Targets Eyes-Off Driving for Retail Customers
GM said in a press release that the system will allow drivers to take their eyes off the road under compatible conditions. That would go beyond SAE Level 2 driver-assistance systems such as Ford’s BlueCruise, which require drivers to remain attentive.
The technology will build on lessons from GM’s Super Cruise system and the company’s former autonomous ride-hailing business, Cruise.
Building Trust in Automated Driving
Super Cruise already provides hands-free driving in equipped GM vehicles, allowing drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel on compatible roads while still requiring their attention.
Earlier this year, customers surpassed 1 billion cumulative hands-free miles using Super Cruise. GM says the milestone reflects customers’ trust in the technology, making that trust a key priority for John Kaychi, GM’s senior group product manager for automated driving, as the company develops its eyes-off system.
Lessons From Cruise and New Data Sources
GM announced in December 2024 that it would stop funding Cruise’s robotaxi development following safety issues. However, expertise from the program continues to be used to improve automated driving technologies, particularly in AI development and complex testing.
GM’s development efforts also rely on three data sources: telemetry from production vehicles, high-precision data from development fleets, and simulated environments designed to cover rare edge cases.
The automaker said retail vehicle data is collected “with safeguards designed to protect customer privacy.” The assurance comes as GM has faced a lawsuit alleging that it collected and sold drivers’ data without their knowledge or consent.
GM’s Autonomous Driving Ambitions
Despite the risks associated with allowing software to take control of a vehicle, GM is pursuing retail autonomous driving as a major part of its ambitions in the technology.
Kaychi, who formerly worked at Zoox, believes the retail market is ready. He said, “True autonomy isn’t here yet, but GM is uniquely positioned to lead this next chapter, bringing automated driving to customers at scale.”
Rivian Also Targets Eyes-Off Driving
GM is not the only automaker developing eyes-off driving capabilities. Rivian is also working on the technology, with its R1S competing against the Cadillac Escalade IQ.
Rivian is targeting eyes-off driving in 2027 and Level 4 robotaxis in 2028, with the robotaxi program being developed through a partnership with Uber.
