GM eyes-off driving: Escalade IQ first in 2028, then gas pickups and full-size SUVs, with no price or date for the trucks

GM eyes-off driving, the company's planned system that lets you look away from the road on the highway, is coming to more than one luxury EV. At its GM Forward event in New York on October 21, 2026, General Motors said the system will still debut in 2028 on the Cadillac Escalade IQ, and that it will then extend it "beyond our EV lineup to gas-powered vehicles, including some of our best-selling full-size SUVs and light-duty pickups." That moves the most ambitious driving automation GM has announced onto the trucks and SUVs it sells most of. It came on the same day GM announced its OnStar AI Assistant. GM didn't name the trucks, give them a date or say what any of it will cost.

This story is based on GM's October 21, 2026 GM Forward release, its October 22, 2025 eyes-off announcement, its March 23, 2026 testing release, GM's autonomous-driving page, Chevrolet's Super Cruise page, and reporting by Reuters (via Claims Journal) and TechCrunch, checked October 27, 2026.

The short version

• First vehicle: the Cadillac Escalade IQ, in 2028, on highways.
• Then: gas-powered vehicles, "including some of our best-selling full-size SUVs and light-duty pickups." GM named no models and gave no timeframe, Reuters reported.
• Eyes-off vs hands-off: Super Cruise lets you take your hands off the wheel but requires your eyes on the road. Eyes-off would let you look away, for example to read, while the system drives.
• Roads: highways first, with "Availability and permissible use by state"; GM says other roads come later.
• Price: not announced. Super Cruise today needs a $39.99-a-month OnStar Super Cruise plan in the US after the included period.

Which GM vehicles get eyes-off driving, and when?

The Cadillac Escalade IQ, in 2028, is the only vehicle and date GM has given. GM first announced that on October 22, 2025: "In 2028, GM will introduce eyes-off driving on the Cadillac ESCALADE IQ, beginning with highways." Its October 21, 2026 release repeats the 2028 Escalade IQ debut and adds the expansion to gas-powered full-size SUVs and light-duty pickups. GM's March 23, 2026 release had already said other gas and electric models would follow the Escalade IQ.

Reuters' Kalea Hall reported that GM gave no timeframe for the pickups and larger SUVs, and noted they are GM's highest-selling and most profitable vehicles, while the Escalade IQ is a pricey, low-selling EV. GM also said its new Central Compute Unit, which debuts on the Escalade IQ in 2028 and is designed to run in-cabin AI and automated driving at the same time, will roll out across full-size SUVs and trucks, three-row crossovers and its fourth-generation EVs.

Last verified: October 27, 2026

What's the difference between hands-off and eyes-off driving?

Where your eyes are allowed to be. GM's Super Cruise is hands-free: Chevrolet's Super Cruise page says drivers "must remain attentive, keep their eyes on the road, and be ready to take control at any time," and a camera tracks head and eye position, and a light bar flashes if your attention drops. Eyes-off driving removes that requirement on supported roads. GM's 2025 release says turquoise lighting will show when the system is active, "a visual cue that it's safe to sit back, read, or catch up on messages while the vehicle handles the drive."

GM's March 2026 release describes the goal as a system that doesn't depend on constant driver attention for safety. TechCrunch reported in October 2025 that systems like this generally fall under SAE Level 3, but GM itself didn't use that label in the releases reviewed for this story. GM says it relies on lidar, radar and cameras together, "Unlike vision-only systems." TechCrunch also reported that GM said the system would ask the driver to take over for things like off-ramps.

Which roads will GM eyes-off driving work on?

Highways, at first. GM's 2025 release says eyes-off driving starts on highways, with "Availability and permissible use by state," so where you can use it will depend on state rules. GM's March 2026 release says highways come first and driveway-to-driveway driving later, and Reuters reported that GM says it will eventually expand to other roads. GM hasn't published a road list or map for eyes-off. Super Cruise, by comparison, works on "more than 600,000 miles of compatible roads" in the US and Canada, according to Chevrolet.

How does eyes-off relate to Super Cruise?

It builds on it, GM says. The 2025 release says "GM's foundation in Super Cruise proves that this kind of complex driver-assist technology can scale safely," and the October 21, 2026 release says the effort draws on safety insights from "1.2 billion miles driven by GM customers with Super Cruise." GM also draws on Cruise, which its 2025 release says joined GM that year; the release cites "AI models trained on five million driverless miles." GM hasn't said whether eyes-off will be sold as part of Super Cruise or as a separate product.

GM Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson said GM is building "an autonomous system that operates safely on highways that actually gives you your time back," Reuters reported.

How much will GM eyes-off driving cost?

GM hasn't said. None of its releases mention a price or subscription. Reuters reported that GM expects drivers to pay for its software and digital features. For reference, Super Cruise "Requires an active service plan or trial," and Chevrolet lists the OnStar Super Cruise plan at $39.99 a month in the US once the included period ends.

Last verified: October 27, 2026

Why it matters

Moving eyes-off driving from a low-volume luxury EV to pickups and SUVs is what would put it in front of large numbers of drivers. It also raises the stakes on the hardest question: when the system is driving and the person isn't watching, who is responsible when it gets something wrong? It's the same accountability question raised by software agents running without a human watching, and by companies like SK Telecom, which now assigns a supervisor to its most autonomous AI agents. GM hasn't yet said how liability will work for eyes-off driving.

What's confirmed, reported and uncertain

• Confirmed (GM): the 2028 Escalade IQ debut on highways; the extension to gas-powered full-size SUVs and light-duty pickups; state-by-state availability; lidar, radar and cameras; supervised highway testing in California and Michigan since March 2026 and closed-course testing of pre-production vehicles; 1.2 billion Super Cruise miles; the Super Cruise eyes-on-road requirement and $39.99 monthly plan (Chevrolet).
• Reported: no timeframe for the trucks and SUVs, eventual expansion to other roads, Anderson's quote and GM's expectation that drivers pay for software (Reuters); takeover requests for off-ramps and the Level 3 framing (TechCrunch).
• Uncertain: which pickups and SUVs, and when; the price; whether it's part of Super Cruise; how liability works when the system is driving.