October 22, 2025 - GM Announces Eyes-Off Driving Automation, SDV Platform

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for October 22, 2025, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry.  

Today in New York, General Motors held an event where it made another major technology announcement with CEO Mary Barra, SVP of Software Dave Richardson, and Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson. 

In recent years, all but a few of GM's entry-level models have adopted an infotainment system based on Google's Android Automotive with Google Services, including its Assistant. In 2026, GM will replace the old Assistant voice control with Google's Gemini AI chatbot. Other automakers using Google Services are expected to do the same, but GM is the first to confirm its plans. 

Last March at Nvidia GTC, GM announced that it would start using Nvidia's chips to replace the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform it has been using for the last several years. The first applications of the Nvidia Drive Thor system on a chip or SoC are now scheduled to debut in 2028. Thor will power an all-new electrical and electronic architecture specifically designed for software-defined vehicles or SDVs. The new platform will go beyond the zonal architectures that have been adopted by some automakers in recent years to a more completely centralized system. This will be deployed on both combustion and electric vehicles, starting with the Cadillac Escalade IQ. 

The new platform will enable GM to launch its next-generation driving automation beyond Super Cruise. The as-yet-unbranded system will go from the hands-off/eyes-on supervised capability of Super Cruise to an eyes-off Level 3 automation system. GM claims that it will be able to be used at highway speeds across North America from 2028, but details about regulatory approvals haven't been revealed. In addition to the Nvidia Thor compute, the L3 system will have cameras, radar, and lidar as part of the package on the Escalade IQ. 

GM has also opened an autonomous robotics lab at its Warren, Michigan, tech center and has begun deploying collaborative robots or cobots. These are industrial robots designed to operate safely alongside humans, but GM is not currently pursuing humanoid robots. Finally, GM Energy is launching a leasing program for its bidirectional vehicle to home charging systems to make them more accessible to more people. 

Thanks for listening.