By admin 
Taking Autonomy Home
The car industry has come a long way in bringing autonomous driving to the public. Waymo is one of the best examples with its fully autonomous robotaxi business, a market Tesla is also competing in with the Cybercab. However, General Motors has ambitions beyond robotaxis, aiming to become a leader in autonomous driving for retail customers.
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In a press release, GM said it plans to introduce its first eyes-off driving system in 2028, starting with the Cadillac Escalade IQ. As the name suggests, it would let drivers take their eyes off the road under compatible conditions, something SAE Level 2 driver-assistance systems like Ford’s BlueCruise do not allow. To make that ambition possible, the system will draw on lessons from Super Cruise and the brand’s former autonomous ride-hailing business, Cruise.
The Trust Factor
Super Cruise offers hands-free driving in equipped GM vehicles, allowing drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel on compatible roads while remaining attentive. Earlier this year, customers surpassed 1 billion cumulative hands-free miles, a milestone the automaker says reflects customers’ trust in the technology. Building that trust is a priority for John Kaychi, GM’s senior group product manager for automated driving, as he works on the upcoming eyes-off system.
Although GM announced in December 2024 that it would stop funding Cruise’s robotaxi development following safety issues, the program’s expertise is still being used to improve automated driving technologies, particularly in AI development and complex testing.
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Beyond those foundations, development also relies on three data sources: telemetry from production vehicles, high-precision data from development fleets, and simulated environments designed to cover rare edge cases. However, GM stressed that retail vehicle data is collected “with safeguards designed to protect customer privacy” – an assurance that carries some irony given that the company has faced a lawsuit alleging it collected and sold drivers’ data without their knowledge or consent.
GM’s Next Big Swing
Nevertheless, pursuing such a venture, given the risks of letting software take the wheel, remains a bold and notable move. Kaychi, who formerly worked at Zoox, believes the retail market is ready. He said, “True autonomy isn’t here yet, but GM is uniquely positioned to lead this next chapter, bringing automated driving to customers at scale.”
Other automakers are also developing eyes-off capabilities, including Rivian, whose R1S competes against Cadillac Escalade IQ. Rivian is targeting eyes-off driving in 2027 and Level 4 robotaxis in 2028, the latter through a partnership with Uber.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 7:30 AM.