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Ford Focus parks itself after you get out


Manouevring your car into a tight parking spot isn't easy, but sometimes getting out of the car can be even more difficult. We've all had the experience of squeezing our bodies through a barely-opened door after getting our car into a narrow park.

And with cars getting bigger while carparks -- many of them built decades ago -- stay the same size, it's going to be an increasing problem, along with the growing collections of body and bumper scrapes that come with it.

However Ford is working on a solution with a car that can park itself, after you get out of it. The auto giant is not the first to probe the idea, and is following in the research footsteps of Chinese brand BYD, which showed off its remote-controlled park function on the small Su Rui sedan concept at the 2012 Beijing motor show.

 

Watch the BYD Su Rui remote parking video here.

 

Swedish carmaker Volvo is also developing a remote parking system, which it revealed on a V40 concept in June this year.
 

Watch video of the remote parking Volvo here.
 

However Ford may be the first to market with the technology, with the US brand currently testing the concept at its proving grounds in Belgium and being tipped to get it into showrooms within two years.

The Ford Focus test car is fitted with cutting edge technology that remotely controls steering, forward and reverse motion and even gear selection. All you have to do is get out of the driver's seat and hold down a single button on the key fob.

The process takes about 10 seconds with the parking system limited to a speed of 9km/h, and sensors around the body prevent it hitting obstacles while it’s under way. When you return to the car, you can simply reverse the whole process and the car slides smoothly and safely out of its spot.

Ford says the remote parking would be a daily benefit in crowded cities. "It's trying to help someone squeeze into that space and allow them to have some automated help to help them achieve a driving manouevre they are going to have to do frequently in their life," Ford Europe vice-president of product development Barb Samardzich said.

 

Watch the Ford Focus remote parking video here.

 

This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott