Ford To Take Fun Out Of Parallel Parking
As the video proves beyond the shadow of a doubt, parallel parking is a cinch. For those who nonetheless feel challenged by the maneuver, and view it as scarier than crossing the 38th parallel, Ford has a cure: Ford plans to offer two Lincoln models in 2009 that can park themselves, Marketwatch reports. Parallel parking will get as boring as pushing a button. The miracles will be on display at the Detroit Auto Show. The parallel parking robot will be an option on the Lincoln MKS sedan and MKT CUV for the 2009 model year. For the TTAC B&B, this news is a yawner, as automatic parallel parking attendants were introduced by Toyota in their Prius as far back as 2004, followed by Lexus, BMW, the VW Touran, and possibly others.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Score: jg 2, quasimondo 1. I, too, am very glad your vision returned, if indeed it did. About 15 years ago, infection from ear tube installation (dumbest thing I have ever done) almost stole my hearing, but it since has returned (without any tubes!). I know the feeling. I've been thinking, and I'm giving quasimondo a 2-point conversion, making the score quasimondo 3, jg 2.
And lest we forget Ace Ventura..."Like a Glove!"
rpn453, consider this: A paraplegic driver is able to operate a vehicle with the assistance of hand controls that manipulate the accelerator and brake pedals. Because of this simple technology they are able to operate a car on the same skill level as somebody who has full use of their legs. Why should the use of an automated parallel parking system be viewed any different for a driver who's lost his depth perception because they have one eye? The easy answer to this issue of course would be 'Mass Transit, stay off the roads,' but in many cities, it is still an inadequate and subpar system to the point that it is unacceptable. Complicating matters is that massive upgrades is nobody is ever willing to foot the bill for (witness the uproar over additional taxes and tolls to shore up New York City's MTA budget). In all honesty, I'd love to turn my car into a recreational toy instead of a commuting appliance and use a bus or train to get everywhere I need to, but if I have to choose between a technology is readily available to make cars easier to operate safely versus wholesale changes in mass mobility that may not ever occur in our lifetimes (see: 2nd Ave Subway), I think I'll go with the technology we have today. I've also noticed that most unsafe driving comes from a lack of situational awareness. Drivers who have two eyes, two ears, and a good pair of hands and feet driving quite dangerously because they're not paying attention to the road. Talking on a cell phone (even the hands-free ones), fatigue, trying to keep that burger from falling into their lap, or whatever the causes are turns them into a highway hazard because they're not focused on piloting their huge masses of metal at high speeds. In the presence of such danger surrounding me, I refuse to be singled out as the dangerous one on the road.