Cadillac unveiled its new CUE (Cadillac User Experience) system at an event in conjuction with the CTIA convention in San Diego today. And we were there to get a hands-on demo of the a prototype version. And it was literally hands-on since CUE seeks to emulate many of the swipe, tap, scroll and even pinch to zoom that consumers have come to expect from the touch-screen interfaces of smartphones and tablets.
CUE also features proximity sensing so that as a hand approaches the head unit, icons that the car owner can choose and customize pop up (and then disappear when a hand is pulled away). The 8-inch LCD touch screen includes haptic feedback so that it pulses to confirm an input, and the climate controls in the center stack are also touch sensitive. And look and operate a lot like the frustrating sliding controls in MyLincoln Touch.
If you don't want to use your fingers to fiddle with the electronics, CUE promises "natural speech" voice recognition that allows you to say "Let me hear some Zeppelin" instead of "Play artist Led Zeppelin." Or if you don't want to pinch-zoom the nav screen while driving, you can simply swipe a hand to move the navigation and audio info from the center stack to the instrument cluster.
The 12.3-inch LCD instrument panel lets the driver choose from three different gauge-cluster configurations. The IP also features a "3D animated car with performance data callouts," for those who'd rather be distracted by 0-60 times than incoming text messages, since CUE can read incoming texts and send automated or customized responses.
While some of CUE's technologies are new (configurable and customizable screen icons) and some are remixes of things we''ve seen before (proximity sensing a la the Bose system in the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti), the system does offer several first buried deep in the dash.
These include an Linux open-source software platform and an HTML5-enabled browser. No word on the type of Internet connectivity Cadillac will offer to go along with the browser. Since USB ports are buried behind the flip-up touch screen in a large storage cubby, our guess is a USB broadband card. Or maybe some sort of smartphone tethering to free up the USB ports for smartphone charging and music-player intregation -- and eliminate a separate data plan.
CUE also promises innovations such as the ability to aggregate music from multiple devices: an iPod, USB drive, SD card. This way, the driver can just speak a command to access, say, a song rather than having to be in the specific menu for the individual source. Another is single-line destination entry that uses approximations (kind of like a Google search) and auto-fill functions instead of the traditional (and slow) state, city, street, house number method.
The five icons in the proximity-sensing "tray" at the bottom of the screen can be reconfigured and renamed, and users can configure up to 12 different trays or screens, for a total of 60 individual icons. The "app tray" at top of the screen can also be reconfigured by dragging and dropping icons from the homescreen.
In addition to these interface functions, CUE has all of the bells and whistles we've come to expect from top infotainment systems: iPod integration, app capability (Pandora and Stitcher to start), Bluetooth hands-free for phoning and audio for wireless music streaming and AM/FM/HD/XM radio. It also boasts a BluRay rear-seat entertainment system.
CUE is scheduled to debut on the Cadillac XTS and ATS sedans and SRX crossover sometime in late spring of 2012.
jrcarch says:
10:18 PM, 10/11/11
I love that stitched shifter surround!
church123 says:
11:30 PM, 10/11/11
Not a fan of the non-traditional non-buttons on the center stack. They suck in the Volt and they'll probably suck here. Caddy's interiors are pretty solid ergo-wise right now. I understand the desire to differentiate, but they could really screw things up if they go this way.
frank908 says:
05:20 AM, 10/12/11
Liking what I'm seeing. 21st century classic Cadillac design ques.
bodyblue says:
05:47 AM, 10/12/11
That steering wheel looks terrible with the wood (plood) trim on the center of it....GAG. I like wood trim but putting it there looks BAD.
jeepsrt says:
06:37 AM, 10/12/11
After having heated cooled seats, touchscreen nav with travelink, HID's, air suspension, and panoramic sunroof I realize I need none of it and just want a basic vehicle again.
bodyblue says:
07:47 AM, 10/12/11
Exactly what I felt about that stuff jeepsrt. I am going even more old school as soon as I find the Swinger or Duster or ElCamino that I want. All I really need is A/C and a decent stereo and I am pretty happy.
stovt001 says:
08:35 AM, 10/12/11
CUE? Sounds like someone in Cadillac might be a Tron fan.
My eyes glazed over halfway through this writeup. I'll stick to my bare bones Miata and enjoy the drive, thanks.
miamifan1 says:
02:14 PM, 10/12/11
which cadillac is shown in the pics?
kevm14 says:
04:55 PM, 10/12/11
Volume buttons = fail, every time. Easy to fix, though.
albook says:
10:57 AM, 10/13/11
Yeah what car is this? The ATS? Caddy is really stepping up in the interior dept.