General Motors chief executive Mary Barra has stopped making firm predictions about the arrival of self-driving cars, but said the company plans to introduce hands-off, feet-off highway driving on the Cadillac Escalade IQ in 2028.
Barra, speaking in a Manhattan showroom, said GM’s longer-term commitment to electric vehicles remained unchanged despite the slower-than-expected take-up of the technology in the United States.
“I’m done making predictions,” she said, reflecting a more cautious stance than her previous forecasts about the pace of autonomous driving. “I don’t think it’s shifted our mission. We still think EVs are the endgame.”
GM autonomous driving plans for 2028
The 2028 Escalade IQ is expected to offer eyes-off-the-road driving on motorways, enabling drivers to remove their hands from the steering wheel and their feet from the pedals.
Barra described the feature as the beginning of a progression towards fully autonomous vehicles. “And that will be the start of then getting to full autonomy,” she said.
Her comments come as the expected American electric-vehicle boom has lost momentum. Carmakers had previously been preparing for electric models to account for between 40% and 50% of their sales by 2030.
That outlook has been undermined by changes under the Trump administration, which unwound incentives and regulations designed to encourage EV adoption. Consumer behaviour has also proved less responsive than many forecasts had anticipated.
Despite the setbacks, Barra said the change in market conditions had not altered GM’s overall direction. The company continues to regard electric vehicles as its ultimate destination, while taking a more measured approach to predictions about when autonomous driving will become widespread.
