General Motors’ Cadillac plans to add one new model each year to its Chinese model line to the end of 2016, starting with the XTS in early 2013.
“We are incorporating intuitive technologies into our models such as CUE (Cadillac User Experience), which merges intuitive interior design and advanced technology for customised in-vehicle connectivity,” said engineering chief Dave Leone. “We are also making the next generation more fuel efficient and safer by integrating lightweight materials and innovative active safety features. This is critically important to our continued success in China.”
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Cadillac is also adapting technology such as radar, cameras and ultrasonic sensors to help drivers avoid crashes. Safety assistance includes lane departure warnings, forward collision alerts and seats that vibrate to alert drivers of vehicles in their blind spots. The brand is also adopting technology that can apply the brakes when the driver is not reacting to an object the car is sensing ahead or behind it.
In addition, Cadillac is road testing a semi-autonomous technology it calls ‘super Cruise’ that is capable of fully automatic steering, braking and lane-centring in highway driving under certain optimal conditions. The system is designed to ease the driver’s workload in both bumper-to-bumper traffic and on long road trips by relying on a mix of radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras and GPS map data. The system could be ready for production vehicles later this decade.
