Cadillac XTS Safety Seat Alerts Drivers to Dangers

Industry-first directional seat vibrations alert drivers to crash threats

DETROIT – When the all-new Cadillac XTS luxury sedan begins production this spring, it will be the industry’s first car to use directional tactile sensation – vibrations of the driver’s seat bottom – to warn of crash threats while driving and parking.

The patented Cadillac Safety Alert Seat generates vibrating pulse patterns on the left and/or right side of the lower bolster to alert the driver of potential dangers, such as drifting from a traffic lane or toward nearby objects while parking. Threats from the front and rear trigger pulses on both sides of the seat.

“It’s good to see automakers experimenting with new technology to help communicate to drivers when their driving is about to get them into trouble,” said Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “We commend GM for their innovative use of haptic feedback and hope that drivers find it helpful.”

The system works in tandem with other visual alerts, and research shows that it can quickly and accurately focus driver attention to the direction of potential dangers.

“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 seats are part of the Cadillac Driver Awareness and Driver Assist packages, a combination of active safety systems designed to help drivers avoid crashes. The Driver Awareness Package, available for the launch of the Cadillac XTS this spring, includes Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

The Driver Assist Package, available this fall, also uses the Safety Alert Seat and features Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Collision Preparation, and Front and Rear Automatic Braking Systems.

The Drive Assist Awareness and Driver Assist packages will also be available this year in the Cadillac ATS luxury sedan and SRX luxury crossover.

According to Kiefer, GM research shows that the seat may direct driver attention to the location of a crash threat more quickly and accurately than beeping alerts.

“Vibrating alerts also may help drivers who do not hear beeping alerts due to hearing loss or competing noises, and may be preferred by drivers and passengers who might be annoyed by beeps and shut crash avoidance features off,” Kiefer said. “The last thing we want is for drivers to turn off features with safety benefits.”

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.

Safety Alert Seat vibrations can be selected by the driver, via an in-vehicle menu, to replace the audible beeping alerts used across much of the industry.

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.

Using exterior cameras, drivers can see the outside of the car along with dynamic parking guides on the eight-inch LCD screen, located on the center instrument panel. As the car backs up, the seat provides a few quick pulses to both sides of the seat when an object is first detected directly behind the car, and then provides repeated pulses when an object is closer. Meanwhile, the Rear Cross Traffic Alert system looks for approaching cross traffic behind the vehicle that is signaled with either left or right pulses to the driver.

“We feel customers will appreciate the intuitive elegance of the Safety Alert Seat, and more importantly, will appreciate the ‘good vibrations’ afforded by the features linked to this seat,” Kiefer said.

Cadillac features Customer Service excellence

J.D. Power and Associates analyzes customer opinions of more than 800 brands

DETROIT – Cadillac was recognized today as a 2012 Customer Service Champion at the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Roundtable in Orlando, Fla. The luxury automaker was one of only 50 companies out of 800 studied to earn the distinction.

To qualify for inclusion, a company must excel within its own industry and stand out among leading brands in 20 major industries evaluated by J.D. Power.

2011 Cadillac Escalade Platinum.

The 2012 Champions were identified based on customer feedback, opinions, and perceptions gathered primarily from J.D. Power’s syndicated research in 2011. The group of 50 represents the highest-performing U.S. companies that deliver service excellence – both within their specific industries and across all industries measured.

“We’re in the midst of a mission to enhance every interaction a consumer has with Cadillac,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president of Cadillac Sales and Service. “We are strongly committed to customer satisfaction, and appreciate this external confirmation of our efforts.”

Cadillac has instituted wide-ranging changes to enhance the luxury customer experience, conducting comprehensive customer experience training for dealership personnel and developing an improved suite of owner benefits called Cadillac Shield.

The Cadillac Escalade received highest honors in the Large Premium Crossover/SUV category of the J.D. Power 2011 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), which measures the number of problems consumers experience during the first 90 days of ownership.

In February, Cadillac was named the most-desired automotive brand in the United States by men, according to results of a market research test by the global strategic neuro-insight firm Buyology Inc and uSamp, which measured personal and emotional connections to 220 well-known brands across 10 industries.

Cadillac June 2011 CTS, SRX Sales Doing it Right

Cadillac CTS sales held at over 4K for June, just surpassing Cadillac SRX sales of 3,951 for the month.  With the overall change in model mix total sales were down for June by 11%.  Retail sales increased by 5%, but this increase was offset by planned reductions in lower margin rental sales.

DTS sales are in close-out mode; the XTS is in my mind overdue for its showroom appearance, and won’t be along until next Spring.  The last few XLR and STS models are also finding happy owners.  Escalade sales continue to show effects of high fuel prices.

Overall situationally a good sales month for Cadillac.

Sales Details:


June
(Calendar Year-to-Date)

January – June

2011 2010 % Chg Volume %Chg per S/D
2011 2010 %Chg Volume
Selling Days (S/D) 26 25





CTS 4,198 4,193 0.1 -3.7
27,005 19,085 41.5
DTS 879 1,591 -44.8 -46.9
8,738 9,014 -3.1
Escalade 957 1,008 -5.1 -8.7
6,945 7,514 -7.6
Escalade ESV 577 607 -4.9 -8.6
3,797 3,388 12.1
Escalade EXT 142 147 -3.4 -7.1
896 813 10.2
SRX 3,951 3,804 3.9 -0.1
26,200 22,655 15.6
STS 147 409 -64.1 -65.4
2,529 2,145 17.9
XLR 9 29 -69.0 -70.2
12 171 -93.0
Cadillac Total 10,860 11,788 -7.9 -11.4
76,122 64,785 17.5

Press Release Summary:

Cadillac: Cadillac reported total sales of 10,860 for June, an 8-percent decrease versus last June due to planned reductions in sales to rental accounts. For the month, retail sales increased 5 percent. June was the 17th consecutive month of year-over-year retail sales gains. CTS retail sales continued to be brisk – up 16 percent – driven by the popular CTS Coupe. For the year-to-date, Cadillac total sales are up 18 percent to 76,122 (read more).