Self-parking cars: Calling George Jetson
Kindred spirit: The Bobby Darin Dream Car
The Ford Motor Co. didn’t ask for, nor did it receive, any of the $13.4 billion in emergency federal loans approved by President George W. Bush last month. The money went to GM and Chrysler; Ford said it was doing fine for the moment.
Now we know why: cars that park themselves.
Last week, Ford announced that new self-parking technology would be available on its 2010 Lincoln MKS sedan and its new seven-passenger Lincoln MKT luxury crossover vehicle. The driver presses a button, and presto! Ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear of the vehicle guide an electric power steering system that deftly parallel parks the vehicle.
Although a Japanese-made Lexus already has a similar system, Ford’s Mark Fields — who holds the grand title of “president of the Americas” — said Ford’s “one-touch function will be much safer to use and less intimidating. It’s all part of our strategy to introduce smart technology to a vehicle that will make our lives easier.”
We are of two minds about this giant leap for mankind. We have fumed in traffic as a driver in front of us spends five minutes backing-and-forthing his way into a parking space, generally leaving the car three feet from the curb. A self-parking car might be a boon to the parking challenged.
But isn’t this the kind of hyper-expensive doo-dad that got the American auto industry in trouble in the first place? Whatever happened to reliable, fuel-friendly vehicles, small enough for people to park without radar guidance?
Ford didn’t reveal how much the self-parking option would cost, but it’s a safe bet that for a lot less money, you could hire a guy to teach you to parallel park.
I have a Lexus that parks itself, at least it did when the salesman show me how it worked at the dealer. I tried it once and it kept telling me, “start from a position closer” and things like that. By the time you tell it where you want to park, set it and do it, you could have parked yourself four times. I haven’t used it once. It is kind of spooky to watch it. Mine will also back into tight spaces by itself, however with what the car costs, who wants to park six inches from the door of another car. When they come up with a car that repairs the dings on the doors, that will be progress.
Can they make a car that can do some of the following:
1. Turn on the turn signal to indicate lane changes and turns without taxing the driver to do so;
2. Come to a full stop at all Stop signs;
3. Make it impossible for the driver to use the cell phone, or reach for a sandwich, or text message while driving;
4. Make a right hand turn without first veering left (showing a lack of understanding about geometry);
and,
5. Lock the drivers hands in the 10 & 2 o’clock positions on the steering wheel while the vehicle is in motion?
Don’t forget “turns off when make-up is applied while the car is moving”