Cadillac

The all-new 2013 Cadillac XTS will begin production this spring and it will be the industry's first car to use what is called directional tactile sensation – a fancy way of saying vibrations of the driver's seat bottom will occur to warn of crash threats while driving and parking.

It works like this: the seat vibrates pulse patterns on either the right or left of the driver's seat bottom to alert the driver if they're drifting out of a lane or getting too close to an object while parking. In the event of a threat from the front or rear, the seat vibrates on both sides.

"It's akin to someone tapping on your shoulder in a crowd to get your attention," said, General Motors active safety technical fellow Raymond Kiefer. "Using the tactile sense to communicate crash threat direction provides an effective and intuitive way to cut through the clutter of visual and auditory sensory information that drivers routinely experience."

The Safety Alert Seat works with a variety of sensors and cameras installed in the car that help "intelligently" decide when to activate warnings. For example, if a turn signal is on, lane departure warnings are not presented. The seats also will be connected to the XTS Park Assist system and Rear Cross Traffic Alert system to help make parking in tight spaces easier.Read more

Back in January 2009 Cadillac unveiled the Converj Concept, a luxury electric coupe. Cadillac announced this week that the Converj Concept is moving forward as a production car that will be called the Cadillac ELR. This vehicle will be the world's only luxury coupe with extended-range electric vehicle technology.

The Cadillac ELR will feature an electric propulsion system made up of a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. It uses electricity as its primary source to drive the car without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the battery's energy is low, the ELR switches to extended-range mode to enable driving for hundreds of additional miles.

Cadillac selected the name ELR to indicate the car's electric propulsion technology, in keeping with the brand's 3-letter international model naming convention.Read more

OnStar wants to remind drivers just how easy it is to stay safely connected while on the road with its Push On sweepstakes. In a national campaign which launched on Monday, 10 people will win a new OnStar-equipped Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle of their choice.

Anyone with a digital OnStar-equipped vehicle -- regardless of whether they are a current OnStar subscriber -- can enter to win by pressing the blue OnStar button in their vehicle now through May 31.*

Sweepstakes winners can select any Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle with any combination of factory-installed options – yes, even a Corvette ZR1! The only exception is the limited-production Chevrolet Volt electric car.Read more

A crash-proof car? Do you think it's possible? Cadillac is getting closer than ever to creating just that with its active safety technologies. Developed by John Capp, director for Global Active Safety for Cadillac and his team of engineers, inventors and futurists, some of these safety technologies are available now in the 2010 Cadillac DTS Platinum. They include:

• Lane departure warning – a camera-based lane detection system that warns the driver when he or she leaves their lane without signaling. The camera, mounted near the inside rearview mirror, identifies traffic lane markings and provides audible alerts.
• Blind spot alert – twin radar beacons that detect an object in a vehicle's blind zone and provide a visual warning in the outside side mirror.
• Adaptive cruise control – sensors detect objects in a vehicle's path and slow the vehicle down to avoid a collision.

John Capp says future Cadillac technologies could include in-vehicle Doppler radar to spot obstructions or traffic jams ahead. Looking even further out, Capp sees autonomous vehicles that can communicate with each other, traffic signals and buildings, pointing to a world where cars may actually drive themselves.Read more

We all know the OnStar service can provide emergency crash response, roadside assistance and stolen vehicle assistance, but the company is upping the game with their latest announcement. OnStar is jumping in head-first into the smartphone mobile app business for all GM brands. No longer just tied to the Chevrolet Volt, OnStar announced that it's expanding its mobile app technology to include the majority of vehicles in the 2011 Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC lineups.

Smartphone users will be able to use many of OnStar's features right from their device. In addition to unlocking the doors and sounding the vehicle's horn and lights, OnStar subscribers will be able to see their current fuel tank level and range, remaining oil life, current and recommended tire pressure and lifetime average miles-per-gallon... even remotely start their vehicle!Read more