A Self-Driving Cadillac CTS

‘’We are not doing this for the sake of the technology. We are doing it because it is what customers around the world want.’’

Those were the words of General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra in her keynote speech at the Intelligent Transport System World Congress in Detroit. At the event, the CEO revealed that the auto brand has plans to build a 2017 model of a self-driving Cadillac CTS Sedan, with vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology.

GM’s 2017 Cadillac CTS sedan self-driving car would drive freely, without the input of a human driver, by using GM’s ‘’Super Cruise’’ technology. The Super Cruise technology would take control of the steering, acceleration, stopping-and-starting in heavy traffic, and braking at high speed. However, GM said a human driver will always be at the wheel in case of an ‘’unplanned event.’’ The technology could alert the driver to congestion through a heads-up display on the car’s windshield.

The vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology in the autonomous car will allow it to communicate with other vehicles on the road, sending basic information such as the car’s location and speed.

GM is also reportedly teaming up with Ford, the University of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Transport to construct highly ‘’intelligent’’ roads in Detroit that can communicate with the robotic vehicles by way of cameras and sensors.

Deep breath. I just hope that as GM looks to become the first automaker to outfit self-driving cars with V-2-V technology, it doesn’t become the first to recall a self-driving car.