Although the 2022 Escalade will soon be in production, it will not have a key feature. This is Super Cruise, a hands-free driving mode that will be available to customers when they pick up their new vehicle. This feature is the latest to be cut due to the worldwide semiconductor shortage. It has been a significant drain on the auto industry.
Roadshow reports that Cadillac is having to put off adding Super Cruise to its CT4 and CT5 sedans due to the shortage. The Bolt is not currently available for sale because of the battery recall. This means that the most advanced technology feature from parent company General Motors is not currently available in any new vehicle.
Cadillac stated to Roadshow that they were confident in their ability to devise creative solutions to the supply chain problem and resume offering the feature to customers as soon as possible.
The CT6 was the first vehicle to feature Super Cruise. It has been discontinued since then. The system uses software and sensors to track the car's movements. Cadillac announced that the feature would be extended to all its cars and SUVs, and that Super Cruise would also be available to other GM models. Ford is the only automaker to offer similar features. It calls its system BlueCruise. (GM is currently suing Ford for the name.
Due to the shortage of chips, automakers had to make difficult decisions. Some cases they won't be able to get the chips they need. In others they will have to make a decision about where they should use the chips. GM has focused on removing specific features from certain models, such as wireless charging, HD radio and auto stop-start. Some trucks also have a fuel economy module. It also had to temporarily stop production at some plants, as did most of its peers.
GM spent years positioning Cadillac as the brand most representative of its future. This is why Super Cruise on the Escalade was lost. Cadillac is the place where GM launched Super Cruise. Cadillac will also be selling one of the first electric cars built on the new platform.
This was to be the flagship model of this campaign. GM and Cadillac fitted it with Super Cruise and a large touchscreen. The luxury SUV's touchscreen is now in jeopardy and there is no end in sight to the chip shortage. It could take a while for buyers to get that option back.
