In addition to offering the semi-autonomous GM Super Cruise system on several production vehicles, General Motors is also developing new, more-advanced autonomous vehicle technology for release some time in the future. Now, it appears as though GM has been caught testing some of that new autonomous vehicle hardware on this prototype unit of the all-electric Cadillac Lyriq.
Spotted out and about on public roads in Ontario, Canada, this Cadillac Lyriq is equipped with what appears to be forward- and rearward-facing sensors on the roof.
The exact nature of what GM is testing with this Cadillac Lyriq is not known. However, this particular Lyriq prototype looks a great deal like the prototype unit we spotted late in 2021. Like the prototype from 2021, the one recently seen with the sensors on the roof also has a mismatched rear hatch, which is finished in red, as compared to the white body.
The prototype we spotted in 2021 was a pre-production model that was seen testing in Michigan. If the prototype seen in this new photo is indeed the same unit, it may have been repurposed with the intention of testing new autonomous vehicle tech.
Back in November, GM Authority spotted another GM vehicle testing autonomous technology, specifically an ICE-based Chevy Equinox crossover. However, the sensors on the Equinox prototype looked to be far more extensive than the sensors on the Cadillac Lyriq recently spotted in Ontario. One could speculate that the autonomous system tested by the Lyriq prototype in the recent photo is more advanced than the autonomous system tested by the Equinox prototype seen last November, but at this point, it’s hard to say.
Chevy Equinox prototype with autonomous vehicle technology sensor array
The GM Super Cruise system is currently available on several different vehicles, including the Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV, and 2024 Chevy Silverado, among others. GM was originally expected to offer a more-advanced version of the system called Ultra Cruise, but it was recently revealed that GM will instead merge the Ultra Cruise tech with Super Cruise.
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Comments
Probably the new more compact lidar sensors coming out.
LOL! Those are just GPS antennas. Nothing to do with autonomy.
Shark fin has gps. The little grey boxes are lidar.
Sharkfin has the car’s internal GPS, yes. The two pucks are for an external (and much more accurate/informative) GPS system. You can also tell by the addition small antenna next to them. They are used quite frequently during data collection and have nothing to do with LIDAR or autonomy directly.
We will just have to agree to disagree then. I see a plastic cutout for a laser/receiver. And why would you mount 2 high perf gps one in front one in rear? Two lidar’s make a whole lot more sense, one forward facing, one rearward. Previously you had one spinner at the top for 360. But spinners are $$$’s.
I mean, you can assume and be wrong all you want. It’s what most know nothings do on the internet now a days, so keep it up I guess..
You see the back plate where the cable plugs in. You can see it on the front and rear antenna. You mount them that way for the GPS data to be calculated based on 2 points instead of 1. It’s literally the way the system is designed and why it’s better than the car’s standalone receiver.
I DO love GM, but… Here we go again… First California, now Canada!
-The Ice Man
This vehicle broke down 2 weeks ago on the Stevenson Rd Oshawa on ramp from Bloor st. The engineer was standing around it having no idea wtf to do.
These are simply new versions of windshield washer fluid tanks getting tested, you can clearly see there is one in the rear and one in the front to reduce materials and long fluid runs, it has the added bonus of being on top of the car for an easy fill! Godbless
Differential GPS pucks for an RT Range ground truth system.