While a few automakers already offer park-assist systems that can automatically steer a vehicle into a parallel or perpendicular space while a motorist shifts gears and modulates the brake pedal, BMW has been given permission to sell its flagship 7 Series sedan with an advanced version that takes the driver out of the equation altogether.
Here, after shutting off and exiting the vehicle, an owner uses the key fob, which packs a tiny video screen, to remotely pull the flagship sedan into a garage or a very narrow parking space on a fully automated basis and back it out later. The idea is that it precludes having to contort oneself into or out of the car with only minimal room for the doors to open.
The feature had previously been banned in the U.S. because of a federal safety regulation (originally intended to prevent unintended acceleration) that requires drivers to physically hold down a car’s brake pedal in order to shift it out of park.
— Jim Gorzelany
© CTW Features
