GM targets two-year vehicle development and 2028 eyes-off driving in AI push

CNBC and TechCrunch reported the event as "GM Forward," while The Verge described it as the "Onward" event. GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said the initiatives were "building us the car of the future," according to CNBC. Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson, who led the presentation, said GM had changed how it designs, engineers and builds vehicles over the past 12 months.

GM is targeting roughly two years from concept to production, compared with its traditional four- to five-year cycle, but did not detail a timeline for reaching that goal, CNBC reported. The company said a new "concurrent engineering model" uses enterprise AI and virtualization to speed work across design, engineering and manufacturing. As an example, GM said it virtually tested more than 300,000 battery designs using a lithium manganese rich, or LMR, chemistry before building a single physical prototype, helping the concept move to an approved program in one month.

Anderson said LMR will be the exclusive battery technology for GM's fourth-generation EVs. The Verge reported that the cells offer 33% higher energy density than traditional lithium iron phosphate cells at comparable cost and a 20% boost in efficiency per kilowatt-hour. The batteries will be produced by Ultium Cells, GM's joint venture with LG Energy Solution, at its Spring Hill, Tennessee, factory. GM also said the new drive units have 40% fewer internal parts than current hardware, while forthcoming EVs are expected to be 25% more aerodynamic and 15% lighter, according to CNBC.

The hardware centerpiece is a liquid-cooled central compute unit that GM says delivers 40 times the computing power of its current systems while removing 30% of physical wiring. CNBC reported that vehicles using the system will have up to 50% faster cellular connectivity. The unit will handle propulsion and chassis controls as well as perception and active safety, GM said, and will work on internal-combustion models too, though it debuts in the 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ, a vehicle CNBC said is priced at about $130,000.

GM reconfirmed that in 2028 it plans to offer eyes-off highway driving, which it calls "personal autonomy," allowing drivers to take their attention off the road without being ready to take over. The feature will start on the Escalade IQ before rolling out to more high-volume models, including GM's top-selling trucks and SUVs, according to The Verge. TechCrunch reported that the system is enabled by the centralized compute platform and represents a step beyond GM's current hands-free Super Cruise system.

OnStar is also getting an AI overhaul. GM said the OnStar AI Assistant will debut in the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq EV in the coming months through an over-the-air update, with more vehicles to follow, and will be offered through a subscription. A new OnStar mobile app in 2027 will replace the current OnStar Guardian app and the separate Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC brand apps, TechCrunch reported. The assistant is an in-house GM effort; GM currently uses Google's Gemini for its in-vehicle AI assistant.

According to TechCrunch, connected cameras will offer live views and crash and safety recordings, and users can set them to turn on automatically if the vehicle senses an impending event, such as an aggressive horn honk, then upload the clip to the OnStar app. Users will be able to control some vehicle functions, including climate, by voice and ask questions about vehicle features. GM said customers will decide what data is shared and that recordings are time-limited and encrypted; GM and OnStar cannot access Connected Camera recordings, the report said.

The push comes as Chinese automakers shorten development cycles and expand outside the United States. Consulting firm AlixPartners believes China is bringing vehicles to market twice as fast as traditional automakers, with 40% to 50% less investment and a 30% cost advantage, CNBC reported. GM has invested heavily in software, including $866 million in capitalized software amortization expense in 2025, according to TechCrunch. The Verge also reported that GM is extending digital-twin technology to factory operations through a project called "PlantBrAIn," which pairs real-time factory data with simulations across stamping, casting, welding, painting and assembly.