The Volkswagen Touareg already parks itself with the help of a mobile phone

Driver-assistance technology has evolved little by little, and we now have more and more options for moving around with greater safety. But these assistance systems not only make it possible to drive more safely; they also make certain manoeuvres, such as parking, easier. And now it is the driver of the Volkswagen Touareg who can park the vehicle autonomously using a mobile device.

The Park Assist system is the basis of this new automatic parking system. Until now, it could park semi-automatically, with the driver’s help. That is, it took over steering while the driver operated the accelerator and brake pedals so that the car could park in the available space. Now the system also takes control of the engine and brakes, while the manoeuvre is controlled from the phone.

Cameras and sensors for parking

The automatic Park Assist system works thanks to 12 ultrasonic sensors, as well as 4 cameras that provide a 360º image around the vehicle. The cameras are located in the windscreen, the tailgate and the exterior mirrors. In this way, the system keeps the car’s entire surroundings under control and can carry out the parking manoeuvre.

Two parking modes

The Volkswagen Touareg can park automatically in two ways. In the first, the driver is inside the car. In this mode the vehicle finds a parking space, and the driver must press the brake and the drive button, marked ‘P Auto‘ and located below the gear selector lever, and the car begins the manoeuvre. It is important to know that the button must be held down continuously. If it is released, the car will stop as a safety measure.

If the driver gets out of the car, they must select the “Remote parking” option that appears on the multimedia screen. At that point the whole system is transferred to the mobile phone. From there, the driver must keep the ‘P Auto‘ button pressed, which is shown on the smartphone screen. As in the previous case, if the button is released, the car will stop immediately.

In this way the risk of collisions is reduced and safety is increased, since even though the system parks automatically, the presence of the driver is required to carry out the manoeuvre and check that everything goes well throughout the process. The new Park Assist also allows the car to leave the parking space automatically.

To do so, the driver must open the VW Remote Park Assist Plus app and press the START / ENGINE / STOP button on the smartphone. The app offers several instructions for moving the car from the phone. Instructions such as “Forward to the right” or “Forward to the left” let the driver have the car pull itself out of the garage space, which is ideal for spaces where it is impossible to open the door properly.

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadVolkswagen Touareg5 versions · from 73,265 €