Intelligent Parking assist?.... Why not here?

This subject came up some time ago. Apparently, the parking thingy is very slow. My best guess back then (and I'll stick with this now) is that Americans are just too impatient for it. Do you want to wait 5 minutes (maybe it wasn't that much, but it kind of seemed like it) for your car to park itself, when you could do it yourself in under a minute? How about all the drivers behind you, waiting for you to get into that parking space and out of the driving lane? Also, I think it's very expensive. I'd rather spend the extra money on more battery capacity for improved mileage (which I think it was Wayne Brown demonstrated -- though I'd want it as a factory option, not an aftermarket DIY.)

Slick toy, maybe, but I don't think the auto-parking would be all that useful.

BTW, I lived for six months in an apartment in Seville, Spain, overlooking the street from about 4 floors up. parking was very crowded. I routinely watched people parking (on the first try!!!) in spaces only inches longer than their car. Like maybe 12 inches total longer than their car. It was amazing.

Capitán Pérez de Sevilla was the name of the street, a little, two-block alleyway with a 90-degree turn in it.

later I moved out of that apartment into a better one, but without a view onto the street.

 

I think the video I saw of the Japanese version was about 30-45 seconds to park... I could probably do the same move in about 10-15 seconds, so ya, it is slower, but it's pretty cool technology

Dave

 

Unfortunately, the Japanese likes to keep some of their best or unique features in Japan. That includes cars, accessories, and electronics, plus few other items. I travel to Japan at least once a year, and are always amazed at thngs that you can buy in Japan, but not here in the U.S. If you check out the Japanese Prius web site, you will find out a lot of accessories that is not sold in the U.S. Japanese Prius navigation is also more sophiscated than ours, it shows the surrounding streets in 3D mode, and even shows where a empty space is in a parking area!

So, with this trend in mind, I don't think we'll ever see the parking assistant here in the U.S. at all.

 

It's just become available in Holland.

 

Crap! How does the NAV know if a parking space is empty? It sounds like every car would need GPS for that to work. And I know I saw the 3D version with outlines of all the biuldings but in some places that would go out of date fast and you'd have to get a new DVD every year for sure.

 

With my '05, this feature was part of the Navi package. Still have never used it since I can't read the instruction manual and my Toyota dealer couldn't seem to figure it out when he brought my car to me. I surely would not have paid $2200 extra for it. I don't this y'all are missing out on much. One of these days I'll try to figure it out in a big, empty parking lot.

 

It's actually available on the 06 all over Europe now, in the so called Tech. Version. And it's not that expensive over here actually.

I will get this with my new car in January - mostly because I think it's a great "gadget"

Here are 2 videos showing the IPA in action, from a great Prius site in the Netherlands:

Reverse Parking:
http://www.john2211.nl/Hybride_overige_fil..._inparkeren.wmv

Parallel Parking:
http://www.john2211.nl/Hybride_overige_fil...le_parkeren.wmv

After watching these - I know what I will do first when I get my car... Turn that annoying Reverse BEEP off!!!!!

 

Cool. So, what about the UK? That's what I want to know. So far we've had no news about any model changes (apart from the minor handling + noise tweaks a few months back). Will we ever get SE/SS?

I trust the commentary can be disabled... (is it actually real? For starters it's got an American accent, unlike the current car which speaks proper English).

As for the reverse beep, on the 2004/2005 Europe-spec cars it can't be disabled. It's not as intrusive as it sounds on that video.

 

To be honest, I don't know about the UK... But the rest of Europe gets IPA.

About the commentary - I hope it can be switched off to, but I don't know yet.

I am glad that the reverse beep is not that intrusive - but if I can disable it, I will!

 

Toyota is in business to make money, just like any other free-enterprise corporation. There's no way they are going to "hold back" a gadget that they think would sell. The only reason any of those gadgets are not available here, is that Toyota believes that too few Americans would buy them to be profitable. It takes a certain level of sales to make a profit. The techno-geek market can be profitable for a very small company (Costal Dave, for example) but a big company needs a much larger market to break even on a gadget.

They may be right or they may be wrong about the number of Americans that would buy parking assist or any other option. (They were very wrong about how many people would buy the '04 Prius.) But if you convince them there's a market for it, they'll offer it just as fast as they can tool up for it.

 

They don't sell it here because it would prove an age-old point...

... when it was found that in America, only women would buy it.

(Less in jest, my wife freely admits that she can't parallel park, and will never learn. And I would never use such a gadget here, but that's because it would be useless here in Olympia, or even in Seattle.)

 

I've never been to Spain but have travelled to the UK, Switzerland, Germany, and all the Nordic countries on business. In high density urban and city centre areas, I think parking profeciency is required.

It also helps a lot that smaller cars are easier to park. I would love to see a Suburban driver try to park in Seville, Spain.

Even here in Winnipeg, my Prius comfortably fits into Compact stalls and tight street parking. I wouldn't even try with my 2000 GMC Sierra, with the extended cab the wheelbase was just too long.

 

I believe the real reason is this:

If you have been to Japan, you will realize the urban streets are very, very narrow and parking spaces are small and also difficult to find. In America, we have lots of wide open spaces and our parking spaces are also much wider. Parking is not a huge task for us. Toyota does not believe that most Americans will shell out extra $2200 for this feature.

 

seems to me i talked with a Priuschatter from Japan and he said it was more like 75-90 seconds to park. and the reason why they have it is because space and parking is much much tighter there. also he mentioned that you had to be in the car for this to work... i kinda thought this was a strange comment. i'm thinking he got the feature to eliminate the need for valets??

have to agree with zapranoth, here in Olympia, other than downtown, there is hardly any place to parallel park and all the spaces here are designed for SUV's so who needs it?