GM aims to launch personal self-driving car by mid-decade: CEO

GM’s new Ultra Cruise hands-free driving system will also debut in 2023 on another new EV, the Cadillac Celestique ultra-luxury sedan.

General Motors Co. aims to introduce a “personal autonomous vehicle” by the middle of the decade, Chief Executive Mary Barra said Wednesday.

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The self-driving vehicle for personal use is being co-developed with GM’s majority-owned Cruise, Barra said in a remote keynote focused on the twin themes of vehicle electrification and autonomy at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. .

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Barra said GM’s expanded portfolio of electric vehicles, including the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup and Brightdrop commercial vehicle range, also includes two new Chevrolet crossovers, the $30,000 Equinox EV and the slightly larger Blazer EV, both of which will be introduced in 2023.

GM’s new Ultra Cruise hands-free driving system will also debut in 2023 on another new EV, the Cadillac Celestique ultra-luxury sedan. Barra said Ultra Cruise will use Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Ride Compute Platform For advanced driver assistance.

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At last year’s CES, Cadillac raised a few eyebrows with two futuristic concepts, including a flying car, At this year’s event, Barra unveiled a third Cadillac concept, the InnerSpace, which was described as a self-driving, two-passenger luxury coupe.

A fourth Cadillac concept, the OpenSpace, was teased in a brief video as a “vision for the next decade and beyond”. It was described by a GM insider as a “luxury hotel room on wheels”.

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