General Motors may currently have the end-goal to put fully self-driving passenger vehicles on the road en masse, but should that never happen, the company is nevertheless looking for ways to improve the commuting experience with its automobiles.

By way of example, your next GM vehicle might come with predictive "pre-sponse" technology that allows it to cater to your every want and need without you having to ask. That feature is coming soon, GM Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl told Cheddar at CES 2020, and it's one of many ways that GM is looking to demonstrate that it's no longer "just" a legacy automaker.

Here's what that might look like:

Imagine that you wake up on a weekday morning, get dressed for work, and head out to your next-generation Cadillac Escalade (which will debut soon) for your office commute. As soon as you power the car on, the infotainment system has the next episode of your favorite podcast queued up, and the car places an order for your morning coffee as you head out, so that it's ready for you by the time you arrive at your local coffee shop.

Eerie? Or brilliant?

Ms. Wahl didn't divulge exactly when we might expect to see GM's pre-sponse technology in a production vehicle, but it doesn't sound like it would be terribly difficult to implement.

GM's forthcoming "pre-sponse" technology demonstrates the extent to which the lines between legacy companies and disruptive startups are becoming increasingly blurred, Wahl says, as every business is trying to innovate in order to remain relevant. GM is no exception, and the Detroit automaker is eager to highlight how it's evolved beyond a simple manufacturer of cars, trucks, and SUVs.

As GM's first Chief Marketing Officer in several years, Wahl's challenge is communicating that evolution to a public that increasingly appears much more enamored with flashy tech companies than steady manufacturing businesses. The company's share value is currently down more than 14 percent from its one-year high of $40.88.