VW Group Says Autonomous Parking To Be Ready By 2020

The Volkswagen Group will soon have autonomous parking ready for its series vehicles the company has stated. The new autonomous parking tech will find its way into VW, Audi, and Porsche products with autonomous testing for those vehicles happening at Hamburg airport now. The new feature will be available in the first vehicles come 2020.

The autonomous parking testing at the Hamburg airport features a car park map used by the vehicles to navigate to parking spaces on their own. The orientation details for the vehicles are provided by pictorial markers that are installed in the multi-story car park at the airport. With that information, the vehicles navigate to the parking spaces on their own.

VW notes that it plans to have the tech ready for the first customers in select multi-story car parks from the start of the next decade. That means within about two more years. VW notes that the tech being used for the parking function is out of the research lab and is at an advanced stage of development.

Safety is the top priority for VW and the autonomous parking function will be used in an exclusive traffic flow for a while. The autonomous cars will have separate areas of the car park where they function that is closed off to people. The next stage of development will be operation in the same areas of the car park as other vehicles and drivers.

The tech used has an active surroundings recognition system. That means the car can recognize objects and react accordingly by going around obstacles, braking, or completely stopping. Sensors on the vehicle include ultrasound, radar, and cameras with a central control unit inside the car.

SOURCE: VW