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GM senior vice president Jaclyn McQuaid said she cannot rule out future Cadillacs without steering wheels, but told The Drive that people who want a V Blackwing will still be able to drive one. GM plans to introduce its eyes-off autonomous driving system in the 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ; the timing and design of any wheel-free Cadillac remain unknown.
General Motors is leaving open the possibility of future Cadillacs without steering wheels, but senior vice president of vehicle products Jaclyn McQuaid said drivers who want a V Blackwing will still be able to drive one. Her comments, made in an interview on The Drivecast, distinguish GM’s plans for autonomous vehicles from its continued support for performance cars built around driver control.
Asked whether Blackwing enthusiasts should worry that autonomy could mean the steering wheel disappears, McQuaid replied, “I can’t say that there won’t be Cadillacs where that one day happens.” After the question was clarified specifically to refer to Blackwings, she added that people who want to drive a V Blackwing will be able to do so. The remarks signal that GM is considering different kinds of vehicles within its Cadillac lineup, rather than saying every model will become autonomous.
McQuaid said customers should not assume autonomous technology must be applied across a company’s entire vehicle portfolio. She cited GM’s continued involvement in racing, including Formula One and NASCAR, as evidence that there are still use cases for driving-focused vehicles. She also described herself as a lover of driving and vehicles who would want her own vehicle.
GM’s near-term autonomy plan is more specific: the company has said its eyes-off autonomous driving system will first arrive in the 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ, with full-size light-duty trucks planned afterward. The Drive reports that a later “Mission Mode” is intended to let vehicles handle errands. Those plans do not establish when, or whether, Cadillac will sell a production model with no steering wheel.
Autonomy Beside Driver-Focused Cadillacs
The comments matter because they address a direct concern among performance-car buyers: whether a shift toward autonomous driving could eventually remove the driver’s role from every vehicle, including high-performance models. McQuaid’s answer was not a promise that all future Blackwings will retain a particular configuration, but it was a clear statement that GM does not view autonomy as a one-size-fits-all mandate.
That approach could let GM pursue autonomous services and vehicles for customers who want them while continuing to sell cars designed for people who enjoy driving. For Cadillac, the distinction is especially relevant to the Blackwing name, which is associated with performance and driver involvement. The company’s comments offer reassurance about the current direction, but not a detailed product guarantee covering every future model year.
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Cadillac’s Two Product Directions
GM’s autonomy plans are developing alongside a separate performance-car program. The company has confirmed a gas-powered next-generation CT5. The Drive has reported that the next CT5-V will offer a naturally aspirated V8 and a manual transmission; those details are reporting by the outlet, not specifications confirmed in McQuaid’s comments.
The Drive also reported that Cadillac stopped directly chasing BMW as a benchmark for the Blackwing line. McQuaid’s remarks add a broader explanation of how GM might balance vehicles built for driving with models designed to operate autonomously. She connected the latter to mobility and independence, including for people who may lose the ability to drive as they age. The interview did not provide a product timeline for wheel-free Cadillacs.
““I can’t say that there won’t be Cadillacs where that one day happens.””
— Jaclyn McQuaid, GM senior vice president of vehicle products, on The Drivecast
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No Wheel-Free Model Yet Identified
GM has not announced a Cadillac model that will be sold without a steering wheel, and McQuaid did not give a timeline for one. Her comments leave open the possibility rather than confirm a production plan. The company has also not specified whether future Blackwing models will retain the same controls or configuration across generations; her assurance was that people who want to drive a V Blackwing will be able to do so.
Details of the planned 2028 Escalade IQ system, including its final capabilities and how those might relate to any future wheel-free design, were not provided in the interview. The next CT5-V’s reported engine and transmission options also remain The Drive’s reporting, not details established by McQuaid in these remarks.
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Escalade IQ Leads the Rollout
The next stated milestone is GM’s planned introduction of its eyes-off autonomous system in the 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ, followed by full-size light-duty trucks. GM has described Mission Mode as a later capability that could let vehicles run errands, but the source report does not give a launch date for that feature.
For performance-car buyers, the next relevant development will be official information about the next-generation CT5 and its V and Blackwing versions. Until GM releases more specific plans, McQuaid’s remarks establish the company’s stated distinction between autonomous Cadillacs that may come in the future and Blackwings that drivers will still be able to drive.
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Key Questions
Did GM confirm that it will build a Cadillac without a steering wheel?
No. Jaclyn McQuaid said she could not rule out that possibility, but GM has not announced a specific wheel-free Cadillac or a production timeline.
Will drivers still be able to drive Cadillac Blackwings?
McQuaid said that people who want to drive a V Blackwing will be able to do so. She did not provide detailed specifications or a model-by-model commitment for future generations.
When will GM introduce its eyes-off autonomous system?
GM plans to introduce the system in the 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ, then bring it to full-size light-duty trucks. The source does not give a more detailed rollout schedule.
What is Mission Mode?
The Drive’s report says Mission Mode is intended to let vehicles run errands for their owners. Its timing and detailed capabilities have not been specified in the material provided.
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