GM to discontinue UltraCruise brand and integrate technology into SuperCruise.
General Motors has abandoned plans to introduce a new "Ultra Cruise" brand, a further evolution of the "Super Cruise" automated driving assist feature currently under development.
This information was first reported last week by CNBC and later confirmed by Motor Authority in a statement from GM.
According to the automaker, it has no plans to reduce the target functionality of Ultra Cruise. Instead, the feature will be integrated into Super Cruise and will retain the single brand already recognized by consumers.
However, the promised features in the UltraCruise will come later than planned. It was originally scheduled to launch in 2024 as an over-the-air update, starting with Cadillac's flagship EV, the Celestic. No new schedule has been announced.
Ultra Cruise was promised as an automated driving assist feature capable of handling 95% of US roads and, like Super Cruise, was ranked Level 2 on the SAE scale of automated driving capability. Level 2 refers to vehicles that can handle themselves in certain situations but require the driver to constantly monitor the situation and be ready to take action when needed.
Level 3 is the first level where the driver can take his eyes off the road, albeit for a short time. Mercedes-Benz is the only automaker to offer such a system, but the Mercedes system, known as DrivePilot, has strict requirements, including strict limits on the highways where it can operate.
Cruise, a self-driving technology company that is more than 80% owned by GM, has also run into obstacles. Cruise had a robot cab service in San Francisco until late last year, when the California DMV determined that the company's robot cabs were not safe for public operation, forcing the company to shut down the service.
The DMV made this decision after a pedestrian was thrown into the path of Cruise's robot cabs on October 2 after being struck by another vehicle. The robot cab initially stopped, but then traveled another 20 feet and dragged the pedestrian. The accident is still under investigation, and Cruise has not indicated when service will resume.
