2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Will Get Super Cruise Hands-Free Driving Tech

Driving assistance has become a thing now, being offered in various vehicles of shape, size, and purpose. This advanced bit of technology extends a hand of assistance to the driver, gaining authorized control over crucial controls like steering, acceleration and braking, and more internals. The driving assistance aid is a common feature that almost every carmaker equips its vehicles with. Take the 2021 GMC Sierra, for instance, being a workhorse, it runs for uncountable miles over years. Vehicles like this offer a long list of features like automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, front and rear parking sensors, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

There’s no denial of the fact that the 2021 GMC Sierra’s list of features should showcase this exemplary, advanced tech. But with technology covering lengths, there’s more to driving assistance offering.

Various automakers are aiming for Level 3 autonomy, advancing forwards to Level 5, which is full driving autonomy. Systems like AcuraWatch, Ford’s Safe and Smart Package, Honda Sensing, and Mazda’s i-Activsense, with some jargon like Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot or Nissan’s ProPilot Assist, are currently products of Level 2 autonomy. Even the list of features that we discussed on the behalf of 2021 GMC Sierra belongs to Level 2.

Among biggies like Tesla, Honda, and others, General Motors leads the race to fully autonomous driving, with its Super Cruise Level 3 tech. But GM won’t stop so soon. It has recently announced the inclusion of Super Cruise Hands-free driving tech in its upcoming 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. With this, the brand would be the first to introduce the Level 3 autonomy to the pick-up truck segment. Looking down to the 2021 GMC Sierra which is already a capable workhorse, the introduction of such an advanced piece of technology could be a game-changer for General Motors.

Available on the range-topping Denali model, the Sierra’s Super Cruise will introduce a new function, assisting the drivers to drive hands-free, even while towing a trailer. The Super Cruise can be operated on more than 200,000 authorized miles of roads in the US and Canada. It also allows the driver to engage in an automated lane change by using the turn-signal stalk.

So far, Super Cruise was limited to Cadillac products such as the now-defunct and the new 2021 Cadillac Escalade, and more in the more. General Motor has been working along, equipping, and slowly expanding the availability of Super Cruise to all brands in its portfolio. It has planned to offer Super Cruise on 22 different vehicles by 2023. Amidst this list, the 2022 GMC Hummer will be the first, arriving in the fall of 2021, followed by the updated 2021 GMC Sierra, adding this feature on late 2022 models, like the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. Later, other vehicles set to receive the Super Cruise in the near technology include the Chevy Bolt EV hatchback and the 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV crossover.

With the level 3 autonomy application reaching the pick-up truck ahead of the recently refreshed full size 2021 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL is intriguing. But with this step, the GM portfolio will strengthen with an extremely rich mix of Cadillac-rivaling Denali trim grade and advanced technology bits like the Super Cruise. The brand has noted that 80 percent of the 2021 GMC Sierra(or older) owners tow, which makes the function more attractive to Sierra buyers.

The 2022 GMC Sierra Denali Super Cruise will depend on a driver attention system, whereby infrared lights are used to read the eye movements and ensure the driver’s attention remains focussed forward. While precision lidar and map data work in conjunction with real-time camera information and input from other sensors and GPS to provide semi-autonomous driving. The Super Cruise shuts down if the driver’s attention is disrupted, hence jumping back to manual driving.

The like of Super Cruise semi-autonomous technology in a job site workhorse like the latest 2021 GMC Sierra would be worth every buck. Sierra buyers, mostly haulers, would love this piece of technology, assisting them to a fatigue-less and safer driving system. Pricing will be released closer to production, and we anticipate that it will remain an option.