Here come the talking cars. V2V communication tech to debut on Cadillac’s 2017 CTS

By Stephen Edelstein September 8, 2014

Vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or “V2V,” has gotten a lot of attention from researchers, but it’s just now being confirmed for a future production car.

Speaking at the Intelligent Transport System World Congress in Detroit, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said Cadillac would introduce the technology to production cars in about two years, beginning with the 2017 CTS.

“We are not doing this for the sake of the technology itself,” Barra said, “We’re doing it because it’s what customers around the world want.”

Customers around the world may be less familiar with V2V than the flashier fully-automated systems promoted by other carmakers, as well as Google.

V2V doesn’t allow cars to drive themselves, but instead uses sensors to allow them to communicate with each other, giving the driver greater situational awareness.

Related: V2V technology explained

Because each car in the network knows the location of every other nearby car, the system can warn drivers of potential dangers they may not be able to see.

Barra didn’t go into specifics regarding Cadillac’s system, although GM-released photos show a test car displaying information on its center-stack screen and head-up display. V2V-equipped test vehicles in a study conducted recently in Ann Arbor, Michigan, used visual and audio warnings to alert drivers of possible collisions.

At roughly the same time as the launch of V2V, Cadillac will also introduce its “Super Cruise” tech on multiple models.

Super Cruise bridges the gap between current adaptive cruise-control systems and fully-autonomous vehicles. It will feature hands-free lane following as well as automatic braking and speed control for maneuvering in highway traffic.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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