General Motors plans to debut a fully autonomous vehicle in 2028, beginning with the Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV, which will be the first model to feature “eye-off” driving on highways.
The move follows GM’s decision in December 2024 to halt robotaxi development at Cruise, its majority-owned autonomous unit.
At the time, the company pointed to the significant time and investment needed to scale a robotaxi business and intensifying competition in the self-driving sector.
GM said its approach to autonomy relies on a redundant sensor suite built into the vehicle, combining LiDAR, radar and cameras.
The system uses sensor fusion for perception, extensive real-world data to train planning and control software, and high-fidelity simulation to validate behaviour in rare or high-risk scenarios.
The company noted it has mapped 600,000 miles of roads in North America for hands-free operation and highlighted customer use of its Super Cruise driver-assistance system, which it said has logged around 700 million miles.
It also referenced more than five million driverless miles derived from Cruise technologies and validation tools.
From next year, GM vehicles will incorporate conversational AI developed with Google Gemini to enable natural-language interactions. GM said it plans to develop its own in-house vehicle AI over time.
With owner permission, the automaker intends to refine that system using vehicle data and user preferences via its OnStar telematics platform.
Anticipated features include explaining functions such as one-pedal driving, flagging maintenance needs earlier and recommending dining options during trips.
In 2028, GM also intends to roll out a centralised computing architecture, starting on the Escalade IQ.
The platform is designed to bring together propulsion, steering, infotainment and safety on a single high-speed compute core, and is aimed at supporting both electric and internal-combustion vehicles.
Financially, GM reported a sharp fall in third-quarter net income for 2025, with earnings down 57% year-on-year to $1.32bn from $3.05bn a year earlier.
