General Motors says its timetable for advanced driver assistance is unchanged. CBT News reports that CEO Mary Barra told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Mad Money that the company remains on track to launch eyes-off, hands-off autonomous driving on the Cadillac Escalade IQ in 2028. The statement was included in Mac's Motor City Garage's briefing for 19 October.
The phrase eyes-off, hands-off matters. Today's mainstream driver assistance systems generally require the driver to watch the road, even if the hands can leave the wheel in some cases. A system that lets the driver look away is a step up in responsibility, because the vehicle, not the person, is responsible for monitoring the road under defined conditions. That brings greater technical and legal challenges.
I have only seen the summary of the interview, so I cannot say where the system will work, how it will be priced or how it will manage handovers to the driver. Those details will determine how useful it is. Rivals are also moving in this direction: Stellantis has said it hopes to launch supervised, hands-free driving developed with the startup Wayve in North America in 2028, and Rivian is starting an early-access programme for point-to-point driving.
For buyers, the key advice is to treat timelines for autonomy carefully. Promises of advanced self-driving have often been delayed, and safety regulators pay close attention to incidents involving automated systems, including a Tesla crash with California Highway Patrol officers reported this week. A 2028 target gives GM time, but also time for conditions to change. Watch for pilot programmes, regulatory approvals and independent testing, because they will show whether eyes-off driving is ready for ordinary roads.
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