Since its 2017 debut, GM's Super Cruise has remained one of the best hands-free driver-assist tools available in any vehicle. But good luck finding a car with the feature! GM now confirms that it's dropping Super Cruise from the 2022 Cadillac Escalade. Other cars with Super Cruise, such as the Chevy Bolt, are currently out of production or delayed.

Many electronics manufacturers, and especially automakers, have been hit hard by the global semiconductor shortage. But they still need to sell products, and that means making compromises or cutting corners. To avoid putting Escalade production on hold, GM tells Motor1 that it's making such a compromise---it's removing the car's Super Cruise feature.

GM will also pull Super Cruise from its upcoming Cadillac CT4 and CT5 release. In a statement to The Drive, the company states that the V-Series configurations for these sedans won't ship with Super Cruise until the "first half of next year." (That sounds more like a guess than a guarantee to me.)

So if you really want a car with Super Cruise, you're stuck buying a used vehicle or waiting until sometime next year. Other GM cars with the feature, such as the Hummer EV, are facing major production delays due to chip shortages. And don't even get me started on the Chevy Bolt---the flagship EV is currently undergoing a massive recall, and GM won't make more until its battery supplier learns some "quality metrics."

Bear in mind that any GM vehicles sold without Super Cruise won't gain the future through a magical wireless update. This is a parts issue, meaning that these cars lack the hardware to run Super Cruise.

The idea that GM will sort out its parts issue in 2022 is a bit unbelievable. The automaker is trying to produce a ton of smart cars and EVs, all of which require specialized chips and other components. Given that the global semiconductor shortage may extend into 2023, we should brace ourselves for more GM delays and downgrades.

Source: GM via Motor1, The Drive