Cadillac to offer hands-free driving, vehicle-to-vehicle communication from 2016

Super Cruise is only a working name for now, but it will allow an equipped car to pilot itself in "certain highway driving conditions". Quite what those conditions are, GM isn't saying, but Super Cruise-equipped vehicles will be able to stay in their own lane, slow down and speed up, and brake all hands-free.

According to GM, Super Cruise can improve comfort for "attentive" drivers in bumper-to-bumper traffic, as well as during long road journeys.

The Super Cruise system will be launched on an all-new Cadillac vehicle that's set to debut in 2016. This model is widely believed to be the LTS, the brand's forthcoming top-of-the-range rear-wheel drive sedan. Said to resemble the Elmiraj concept car, albeit with two extra doors, the LTS will tackle the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series head-on.

Also in 2016, GM will equip the E-Class/5 Series-sized CTS sedan (top) with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology. With V2V cars can share their location, heading, speed and other information wirelessly with other nearby vehicles. It can lead to improved crash avoidance and mitigation, as cars will be able to "see" obscured vehicles and know their intentions without visual confirmation.

Additionally, once the technology has been adopted more widely, it could help to relieve traffic congestion, because V2V-equipped vehicles can follow each other much more closely than regular cars.