This new Lexus LS parks itself! Kind of a worthless option in my opinion.
Here's the demo video... Click on "View Demo" on the right side of the page.
http://www.lexus.com/models/LS/features/exterior/advanced_parking_guidance_system.html?

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Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine
06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!)

PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320

Are you kidding me? If this really works, it will be invaluable. From my office window overlooking a busy city street, I see dozens of parallel parking attempts per day. About 15% of the pilots in question perform a competent job. The rest?

Parking a mile away from the curb - 19%

Kerbing at least one $400 alloy rim - 10%

Climbing at least one wheel up on top of the curb - 7%

Tapping the car behind lightly - 11%

A good old all-American plowing into the car behind - 6%

The classic Starsky and Hutch Cut Off The Running Drug Dealer With The Torino nose-in/ass-out position - 13%

The dreaded bumper-corner-to-bumper-corner scrape - 5%

The Attempt, taking 10 minutes, then the Give-Up-and-Move-On (a SUV favorite) - 10%

Nipping the parking meter pole - 4%

The world of parallel parking isn't pretty.

Anybody who doesn't know how to parallel park, doesn't deserve a drivers license.
Of course there is the occasional idiot that pulls up too far.... That always burns my A$$

Now, This is how you do it!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvFdbraK06E

__________________
Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine
06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!)

PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320

Ditto, that is cool as hell.

Living in Madrid, Spain in the mid nineties, I witnessed the the true art of parallel parking. A brand new BMW 850 turns up trying to fit in a spot to small, no problem: going back and forward pushing both cars 'till there is enough space for his $100K car!

BTW. in many European cities it's against parking regulations to use your parking brake for this reason.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

IIRC, when I took my driving test back in the 80s one part of the test involved parallel parking. If you touched the curb or [obviously] one of the parked cars, you failed automatically. Have standards and driving skill slipped so far that there is now a need for a car that parallel parks itself?

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

BMW doing the same thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9nGyXiOfzI&NR

Toyota Prius as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXoLUfYpjeg

Who came up with the original idea?
I can't believe the Japanese did.

Alex

my wife could use one of those. she got a ticket yesterday for having the rear wheel on the curb. in front of our house!. $25 nice fund raiser for the city.

in her defense, we are loosing reverse in her car, and the curbs here are really tiny.

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

The real question is how much more will insurance rates be for these cars when improrper use/ system failures cause more fender benders.

The Lexus almost needs two parking spots to pull this off.

BTW. I worked on the US introduction campaign, there is also a hybrid version coming.

The ones I saw were still prototypes, they looked a little cheap inside.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

Blame urban sprawl and the concurrent explosion in commercial parking garages and lots. Less need to park curbside.

It was standard practice in NYC in the mid 80's, before as well I am certain.

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-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showpost.php?p=831799&postcount=13
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showpost.php?p=831807&postcount=14

That car will sell well in Vancouver. I used to love to watch people try and park down town. Any long time resident of that city will know what I mean. Should sell well anywhere along the pacific rim