Well driving just got a bit easier. General Motors Co. (GM) has plans to introduce a Cadillac model that you can drive without using your hands - or feet.
In two years time, the company will release a model armed with a "Super Cruise" feature, which will allow highway drivers to drive without their hands on the steering wheel or their feet on a pedal. During a speech at the Intelligent Transport System World Congress in Detroit, Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra confirmed the technology will take over steering, acceleration and braking at highway speeds of 70 miles per hour or in stop-and-go traffic.
GM has yet to release the name of the model that host the feature.
Barra also announced that by 2017, GM will become the first automaker to equip a model with what she calls "vehicle-to-vehicle" technology that allows cars to communicate with others armed with similar abilities to warn of traffic hazards and improve road safety. GM will make the vehicle-to-vehicle feature standard on its 2017 Cadillac CTS sedan, and will debut in the second half of 2016.
Barra said during the speech, "With Super Cruise, when there's a congestion alert on roads like California's Santa Monica Freeway, you can let the car take over and drive hands free and feet free through the worst stop-and-go traffic around... If the mood strikes you on the high-speed road from Barstow, California, to Las Vegas, you can take a break from the wheel and pedal and let the car do the work. Having it done for you - that's true luxury."
But not every is so keen on the idea.
Michelle Krebs, an analyst with researcher AutoTrader.com in Royal Oak, Michigan says, "There is still a concern by consumers about the safety of their vehicles because there's been so many recalls. This is going to take a while to win the confidence of consumers."
The announcement comes at a time when automakers around the world are racing to develop self-driving cars to combat global gridlock and help reduce traffic fatalities. GM's chief technology officer told reporters there are now upwards of 1.1 billion vehicles on the road worldwide. A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study estimated that the money that the impact of car crashes translates into more than $870 billion a year.
GM also announced that it's joining with Ford Motor Co, the University of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Transportation to create 120 miles of "intelligent highways" around Detroit. The roads will be equipped with sensors and cameras that enable roads to communicate with cars to alert drivers to hazards and congestion.
