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Category: Highlight

  • Cadillac Super Cruise users are about to get a $25 per month surprise: 3-year trial expiring

    Always read the fine print. That’s the lesson Cadillac Super Cruise users are about to learn.

    First reported by Motor Trend in September, Cadillac’s Super Cruise hands-free driver assist system—a Level 2 system—comes with a three-year trial before requiring a subscription for continued use.

    For the earliest adopters, that trial is about to end. Super Cruise was first offered on the 2018 Cadillac CT6 (it was standard on the Platinum trim and part of a $5,000 package on Premium Luxury models), with vehicles arriving in showrooms in September of 2017.

    Cadillac spokesman Stefan Cross confirmed to Motor Authority the original trials are about to end and owners are being notified on 30 days before the three-year trial expires.

    Cross told Motor Authority that 2018 CT6 Super Cruise owners will get an extra year on the initial three-year trial.

    “Looking at the original disclosure and current disclosure, both say owners will need an active Super Cruise subscription and OnStar plan,” said Cross. And it was displayed on the window sticker under the Cadillac Owner Benefits section.

    Super Cruise is more than the hardware embedded into the vehicle. “Super Cruise requires both OnStar and connectivity to operate,” Cross said. The mapping data and updates all require a connected service plan.

    Cross said customers can purchase a stand alone Super Cruise plan for $25 per month or add Super Cruise to certain OnStar bundles for $15 per month.

    “At this point customers will have the option to renew to keep Super Cruise working properly or let it lapse,” Cross notes, with different pricing options for customers, including a standalone subscription option. “It won’t be a one-size fits all.”

    Super Cruise received a large update in 2019 that allowed it to work on 200,000 miles of highway in the U.S. and Canada. The update added 70,000 miles of map data to the CT6 sedans that featured Super Cruise.

    When the system arrives on the 2021 CT4 and CT5, along with the 2021 Escalade, it will gain the ability to change lanes with the tap of a turn-signal stalk.

    Update: This article has been updated with Super Cruise subscription pricing.

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  • Lewis Hamilton no longer drives supercar collection because it hurts the planet

    Six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has a collection of supercars that he no longer drives out of concern for the environment, he said last week during a press conference for the Formula One Tuscan Grand Prix (which he ended up winning).

    Hamilton said the only road cars he currently drives are the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz EQC and Smart EQ ForTwo.

    Hamilton also said he requests to be picked up from airports in electric vehicles wherever possible, and that he no longer flies on his own private jet to help reduce his carbon footprint. He actually got rid of the jet last year.

    The reigning F1 champion previously had quite a car collecting habit. In a 2018 interview, Hamilton said he owned two Shelby Cobras, a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 recreation, a Ferrari 599 SA Aperta, a LaFerrari and LaFerrari Aperta, a McLaren P1, and a Pagani Zonda. At the time, he said the cars were split between Los Angeles and Monaco.

    Lewis Hamilton introduces the Mercedes-AMG Project One at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show

    Lewis Hamilton introduces the Mercedes-AMG Project One at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show

    In 2015, Hamilton entered the Gumball 3000 Rally, driving a Koenigsegg Agera S.

    Hamilton has also been involved in the development of the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar, which uses the actual engine from Mercedes’ championship-winning F1 cars. That development work is taking longer than expected, delaying the start of deliveries to 2021.

    Hamilton recently announced that he is forming a team for the Extreme E electric off-road racing series, which he sees an opportunity to promote greater environmental awareness.

    In January, organizers released a provisional five-race 2021 calendar with races in remote locations like Greenland and Dakar, Senegal. Races will be held without spectators onsite, which should ensure minimal disturbance to the natural environment, and means Extreme E could launch on schedule despite the coronavirus pandemic.

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  • GM details its Ultium Drive modular EV powertrain offering up to 1,000 horsepower

    General Motors is committed to launching 20 electric vehicles in North America by 2023, and most of these will be powered by a modular battery system branded Ultium and sit atop GM’s third-gen EV platform.

    The electric drive system powering the actual wheels will be branded Ultium Drive, GM said Wednesday.

    Like the batteries, the drive system going into GM’s upcoming electric fleet will be a modular system. Its outputs will range from 235 up to 1,000 horsepower. One of the 1,000-hp EV has already been confirmed as the GMC Hummer EV pickup truck due for a reveal on October 20 and production from fall 2021. It would make sense for the oft-rumored electric Corvette to also feature the 1,000-hp setup.

    The Ultium Drive portfolio will consist of five interchangeable drive units each with a single-speed transmission and power control unit fully integrated. GM will also use three types of electric motors for the drive units.

    GM Ultium Drive family

    GM Ultium Drive family

    Depending on the positioning of the drive units, they will be able to deliver front-, rear- or all-wheel-drive configurations. One of the drive units has been described as an all-wheel-drive assist unit, i.e. it will add traction when slip is detected. This particular setup is expected to feature on an all-wheel-drive Corvette, among other vehicles.

    GM boasts Ultium Drive will deliver better response than comparable internal-combustion engines, along with the ability for highly accurate torque vectoring.

    GM said it is handling the development of the Ultium Drive units and will also manufacture them in-house. GM has developed the Ultium batteries with South Korea’s LG Chem, but will manufacture them at its own plant currently under construction in Lordstown, Ohio.

    So where might we see the Ultium Drive units beyond the Hummer EV and potential Corvette variants? GM has already revealed the identities of 12 of its upcoming EVs that will use the drive units. Two of the 12 are the Hummer EV pickup and a related SUV. Others in the pipeline include the Cadillac Lyriq crossover SUV and Cadillac Celestiq flagship sedan.

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