Cadillac says its in-vehicle control, information and entertainment system will debut in 2012 on the Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans.
Named “Cadillac User Experience” or CUE, the system includes AM/FM, HD Radio and XM Satellite Radio.
Pandora and Stitcher are available using connected smartphones. Pandora says Cadillac is the 12th automaker offering its personalized music service.
CUE can pair information from up to 10 mobile devices using Bluetooth wireless connectivity, as well as USBs, SD cards and MP3 players.
The automaker says CUE reduces complexity for a user through customized information, voice commands, fewer buttons and larger icons. Cadillac says many luxury vehicles have up to 20 buttons controlling the radio and entertainment functions, whereas CUE has four.
“CUE doesn’t replace your smartphone or your iPod,” stated Micky Bly, executive director, Global Electric Systems, Infotainment and Electrification. “Rather it allows consumers to securely store those mobile devices while channeling the information on those devices, along with your navigation tools, weather maps with Doppler radar,” as well as AM/FM/HD and XM radio, “instant messages and emails, through a central portal in your Cadillac, keeping hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.”
CUE has what Cadillac says are several auto industry firsts, such as Proximity Sensing. As the user’s hand approaches the LCD screen, command icons appear. Consumers can arrange and customize their icons.
The 8-inch LCD screen recognizes several hand gestures such as tap, flick, swipe and spread.
Some 2012 Cadillac models allow drivers to mix traditional vehicle data such as a speedometer or a fuel gauge with navigation or entertainment on the gauges above the steering wheel as well as the center stack display.
The automaker uses the Linux operating system, open software platform and an ARM 11 3-core processor, operating at 400 million of instructions (mips) per second. Cadillac says this hardware setup offers 3.5 times more processing power than other infotainment systems, and allows developers to write applications to CUE that consumers can download.
Cadillac announced the launch at the CTIA Wireless Association’s Enterprise and Applications conference in San Diego.
