A few weeks ago, Cadillac Society was the first to report how much the Super Cruise feature will cost in the all-new, 2021 Cadillac Escalade. Today, we’re back to report that the feature will not be immediately available when the all-new SUV goes into production.
Cadillac Society has learned from sources familiar with production plans that units of the 2021 Escalade with the Super Cruise feature are scheduled to go into production three months (12 weeks) after the SORP (Start of Regular Production). Given that SORP of the 2021 Escalade is currently set for June, 12 weeks out brings us to the August-September timeframe for when the first units with Super Cruise will begin to roll off the line.
Meanwhile, sources at the dealer level tell Cadillac Society that they can currently place orders for the 2021 Escalade with SuperCruise, though some customers looking to get their SUV as quickly as possible are placing orders without the autonomous driving feature.
In the 2021 Escalade, Super Cruise is not available on the base Luxury trim level. Instead, it is only available on the remaining four trims – Premium Luxury and Premium Luxury Platinum, as well as Sport and Sport Platinum.
On non-Platinum Premium Luxury and Sport models, opting for Super Cruise also requires the addition of the Driver Assist and Technology Package (production code ST1), which adds the following features:
That package is priced at $3,650. Adding Super Cruise adds $2,500 on top of that, resulting in a total feature cost of $6,150.
Premium Luxury Platinum and Sport Platinum models already include the Driver Assist and Technology Package, so opting for Super Cruise on those models is simply a $2,500 option.
Cadillac Super Cruise is a hands-free driver assistance feature for use on limited access freeways, with the SAE classifying it as a Level 2 system. That means that it can control the vehicle on compatible highways with the driver’s hands off the steering wheel, but still requires the driver to pay attention to the road while driving. The system typically doesn’t work in the city.
A system of cameras located in front of the driver ensures that the driver is paying attention and is keeping the eyes on the road. To function properly, Super Cruise requires an active OnStar plan, an active Wi-Fi Hotspot, a working electrical system, call reception and a GPS signal.
Super Cruise launched in 2017 on the CT6 large sedan. In 2019, the system was expanded to include over 200,000 total miles of compatible highways in the U.S. and Canada (up from about 130,000 miles). That improvement was followed by the addition of an automated lane change functionality, which allows the vehicle to change lanes on its own when requested by the driver. Super Cruise for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade will contains with all of these enhancements.
After rolling out on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Super Cruise will then become available on the Cadillac CT5 and CT4 sedans for the 2021 model year. According to intel obtained by Cadillac Society, the system will eventually make its way to the Cadillac XT6, though it’s currently unclear whether the current generation of the XT4 and XT5 will see it during their respective lifecycles.
Recently, Cadillac shared an interesting statistic: 85 percent of Cadillac CT6 owners want Super Cruise in their next vehicle. The data point shows just how well-received and desired the hands-free driving system is the real world.
Meanwhile, Cadillac is working on a more advanced version of Super Cruise called Ultra Cruise that will expand autonomous driving capability to the city.
We’ll have more on Super Cruise and the all-new Escalade shortly, so be sure to subscribe to Cadillac Society for more Cadillac Super Cruise news, Cadillac Escalade news, and around-the-clock Cadillac news coverage.
We're not aware of any plans to bring the updated XT6 to North America.
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