DETROIT -- Cadillac says a new generation of its touch-screen infotainment system, debuting next month in the CTS sedan, addresses customer frustrations that dragged the brand down in quality surveys.
The updated system, known as the Cadillac User Experience, or CUE, reduces the number of steps required to access information or vehicle controls. Among the changes is a new summary view, which displays climate, audio, phone and navigation on the screen simultaneously.
After the CTS, it will be available on the 2018 XTS and ATS before spreading across the brand’s lineup in “future model years,” Cadillac said in a statement Tuesday.
“We have worked to improve overall system response in recent years, and now this next-generation user experience system delivers more improvements, focused mainly on intuitive control,” Rich Brekus, Cadillac’s director of product strategy, said in the statement.
A Cadillac spokesman said the brand conducted numerous sessions to gather feedback from customers as it redesigned CUE for the first time since its introduction in 2012. But he said the update does not include bringing back more buttons and knobs, as some brands have done after finding that many customers didn’t like using touch screens and sliders to control audio volume and other frequently used functions.
The navigation function has been redone to operate more like a smartphone app, which should provide better search results and more up-to-date information when the owner has an active data subscription. The system now creates cloud-based personalized profiles, allowing drivers to more seamlessly transfer their settings and preferences between vehicles.
Frustrations with CUE caused Cadillac’s performance in surveys by Consumer Reports and J.D. Power to suffer in recent years. At one point, Consumer Reports said the system was worse than MyFord Touch, which similarly hurt Ford Motor Co.’s quality ratings.
Cadillac previously addressed some of the problems with the first-generation CUE systems with minor software updates, but the upcoming version marks the system’s first complete overhaul. Existing vehicles will not be able to upgrade to the second-generation system.
The system will include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, features that Cadillac has added to the first generation of CUE.
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