Rise of the Parking Robots

If technology Volkswagen is testing becomes a reality, a "park" button could be added to key fobs next to ones that operate the door locks.

Volkswagen is working on a system, called Park Assist Vision, that enables drivers to park their cars while standing on the curb by pressing a button on a remote control. It’s still under development and Volkswagen hasn’t said what it would cost consumers or when it might come to market.

One of the benefits of the new technology is that drivers could park their cars in smaller spaces. “We foresee growing difficulty in parking between cars," says Volkswagen spokesperson Harthmuth Hoffmann. As vehicles grow larger and parking lots more crowded, getting in and out of parked vehicles becomes increasingly difficult, he says.

Volkswagen's self-parking system could help solve the problem by allowing drivers to park their cars in spaces too narrow to open side doors enough for ingress and egress, Hoffmann says. The driver and occupants would get out of the car, then park it remotely.

Lexus already offers a self-parking feature on its top-of-the-line LS 460 L and LS 600h L luxury sedans, but drivers must remain inside the vehicle and operate the brakes as the car steers itself. The feature is only available as part of a $10,000 options package.

"In initial quality studies, Lexus' Intelligent Park Assist technology ran into some negative consumer feedback about it being slow and it being easier for a driver to park themselves," says Mike Marshall, an analyst with research firm J.D. Power and Associates. "In my opinion, its development is more technology-driven than it is consumer demand-driven."

Lexus spokesperson Craig Taguchi says some advanced technology is so “mind-blowing” that it can intimidate those who aren't used to it. "A lot of people love it, but not everybody has a need for it," he says, adding that self-parking technology is more useful in big cities where parallel parking is common.

Analysts agree that self-parking systems appeal more to urban dwellers. "There are certain environments where it works very well,” says Art Spinella, an analyst at CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore. “If you're in Manhattan and you have to parallel park on the street, that might be helpful, but in the suburbs you don't parallel park a lot."

Spinella considers self-parking technology to be a gimmick — one that men in particular are likely to avoid. "Men for the most part do not like it. It's like asking for directions. It's not going to happen," he says.

Most carmakers already offer some sort of non-automated parking aid, says J.D. Power’s Marshall. The earliest, simplest versions are the most popular.

Parking aids that incorporate rear-view cameras and audible proximity warnings were the second most popular new technology when price was a factor for consideration, and sixth irrespective of price, according to J.D. Power’s U.S. Automotive Emerging Technologies Study. Such features are especially popular among drivers of full-size sport utility vehicles, which tend to have large blind spots. (Click here to see the Top 10 Most Wanted New Car Features as determined by a Harris Interactive survey.)

Volkswagen's Park Assist Vision is unique in that it relies more on cameras than proximity sensors, Volkswagen’s Hoffmann says. The system in a Passat Wagon test vehicle uses cameras mounted in the front and back of the car and under the side mirrors to gauge the dimensions of a parking space. A computer interprets the data to determine how the car must be maneuvered and signals the electromechanical power steering system, throttle and electronic parking brake to guide the vehicle into the space.

It’s a neat trick, but J.D. Power’s Marshall questions its purpose. "Does this feature enhance my driving experience? Does it make it easier to drive or does it make it more pleasurable to drive? If it takes longer or is more frustrating than I can do on my own, it's just a matter of time before these technologies get phased out," he says.