Ford Europe said on Wednesday it has now tripled production of its optional ‘Active Park Assist’ system, which helps drivers parallel park to meet demand from Focus and C-Max buyers. The system will also be offered on the redesigned Kuga on sale later this year.
The automaker said over 102,000 buyers had now ordered the technology, which calculates the optimal steering angle and steers the vehicle hands-free into a parking spot.
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Park assist was introduced with the redesigned C-Max line at the end of 2010, with a third of buyers specifying it for those models alone. A further 20% have ordered it for the redesigned Focus which went on sale last year.
A third of European drivers surveyed by Ford last year said they struggled to parallel park.
“The demand… has been truly surprising,” said Gunnar Herrmann, the Ford engineering director who led the development of the Focus.
