Cadillac confirms OnStar telematics for Australia, but hands-free driving system held back by law

General Motors’ OnStar connected-car system will become available in all Cadillac vehicles in Australia – while its Super Cruise semi-autonomous highway driving system is restricted by local regulations.

Cadillac has confirmed it will offer its OnStar telematics system in Australian examples of its vehicles in the near future.

While the connected-car technology will not be available in initial versions of the Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV when customer deliveries start in January 2025, the brand says the hardware will be fitted to all models to enable OnStar as the Australian roll-out commences.

The Cadillac Lyriq is fitted with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – however future EVs from General Motors, including the Cadillac Optiq and Vistiq models likely for Australia, go without phone mirroring in favour of the built-in Android-based infotainment system.

MORE: Electric cars Australia – Cheapest, best and newest electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids

OnStar – which could also become available for Chevrolet and GMC vehicles in Australia under the General Motors Speciality Vehicles (GMSV) umbrella – enables access to features like a built-in Alexa voice assistant, downloadable applications, and remote commands from a smartphone.

It also adds support for over-the-air software updates, a built-in WiFi hotspot, stolen vehicle tracking, and automatic emergency calls.

“We do have a level of connectivity from the start, from a battery health monitoring standpoint, which is standard across the whole industry for EVs,” said General Motors Australia managing director Jess Bala.

“We do have a plan to add in connectivity at a future date. We just wanted to make sure we got the car to market when we thought was best for our customers, which is why we brought it in now.

“And then we will continue to make amazing updates to the content as we go.

“But it’ll also mean that our customers that buy the vehicle in January and early next year, we will be able to add that into their car as well. It’s not that you’re obsolete from that. The beauty of this car and this platform is we can update along with you.

Connected-car services have expanded significantly in Australia in recent years, with most brands offering some level of connectivity with a built-in SIM card within a vehicle to access the 4G or 5G mobile network.

OnStar is available in the United States with different subscription tiers starting from US$15 per month ($AU23) and rising to US$50 ($AU76.50).

In 2017, General Motors announced it would launch the OnStar system in Australia starting with the Holden Equinox family SUV – however the plan was later abandoned when the Holden brand was shut down in 2020.

General Motors’ Super Cruise semi-autonomous highway driving system will also be missing from the Cadillac Lyriq at launch due to government regulations, which do not allow automatic lane change systems.

“With Super Cruise, it’s something that we will continue to look at and talk to the government about. Obviously we can’t bring it to market if the government hasn’t legislated the certain autonomous driving technologies that go along with it,” said Bala.

“But having lived with it for many years, it’s one of my favourite features ever. So we will keep working along with the right people to try and lobby to get that in for sure.”

Super Cruise combines the adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist systems to allow for hands-free driving on compatible highways in the United States and Canada with support for automatic lane changes.

GM International president Shilpan Amin said, like OnStar, the Super Cruise technology is built into the Cadillac Lyriq, and it could be enabled for existing cars when local regulations are updated to support it.

“As soon as the government feels comfortable enough, we’ll activate it so there’s no lag into when it could be made available to the market,” said Amin.

Another feature deleted from the Lyriq is its illuminated crystal grille and front Cadillac crest logo due to Australian Design Rules (ADRs) about lighting systems.

“I would love to have the lit grille. I think it’s a beautiful part of the car,” added Bala.

The first customer deliveries of the 2025 Cadillac Lyriq commence in January, with the vehicle now available to order from $117,000 before on-road costs.

The post Cadillac confirms OnStar telematics for Australia, but hands-free driving system held back by law appeared first on Drive.

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