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b_b  ·  3395 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: State of the Autos 2014 | veenspace

Nice write up, veen. I actually think, despite the excitement of the "new" companies' technologies, that Cadillac's Super Cruise is the biggest advancement announced in 2014. For background, Super Cruise is a system that allows the driver to let the car take over once the car is on the freeway. That certainly doesn't sound as impressive as Google or Tesla, but it has a giant advantage. That advantage is that GM sells cars for as little as less than $20,000. They also have a history of introducing technologies on Cadillacs, and then quickly offering them as options on their other, less expensive brands (they create "aspirations"). Tesla has no such brands, and Google, despite the hype, isn't a player. GM has by far the best foothold to get consumers used to not driving. And, we all know that customers get used to something and stick with it. AND, we all know that people like incremental change more than they like abrupt change. For these reasons, I think that GM will be the big fish when the dust settles.