2017 Mercedes E-Class Squeezes into Tiny Spots

Remote Parking Pilot. That’s the name Mercedes is giving a new parking feature/app that’s set to debut in the 2017 E Class sedan at next year’s Geneva show. With Remote Parking Pilot, Benz owners can fit their new sedans into increasingly tighter and tighter parking spaces without a fear of denting or dinging up their doors against “lesser” cars.

It’s a neat trick, even if you can already make out the fearful cries of the libertarians and the easily-startled baby-boomer crowd that worries about people “hacking” their car. Ignoring that, for the moment, here’s what Mercedes has to say about its new E:

Parking can be a nightmare when the vehicle alongside has parked so tight that it is impossible to open the door of your own car. A common occurrence in car parks where space is at a premium. Also some garages are so narrow that getting in and out of the car can be a real chore and cause scratching of the paintwork. Mercedes-Benz has the solution to these unfortunate situations: a remote-control system for moving into and out of parking spaces, available for the first time. It’s called the Remote Parking Pilot, and is controlled from outside the vehicle by smartphone via Bluetooth.

So, what makes this a “green” story? Simply, by allowing car owners to fit larger cars into smaller spaces safely (in this case, “safely” means “without damaging their own, or their neighbors’ cars),Mercedes-Benz has just made it possible for city planners, architects, and people who live in century old homes with tiny garages to put bigger cars in smaller spaces. On a large scale, this could free up hundreds — if not thousands! — of acres of real estate currently being “wasted” as parking space.

Of course, once our cars start killing us all driving themselves, this little app-based remote will seem pretty quaint. Until then, though, it’ll definitely be fun at parties!

Source | Images: Mercedes-Benz, via MBWorld.