Some folks say that the all-new BMW 7 Series is too much of a toy, that some of the features aren't useful. But that's just because they are bitter they can't afford the flagship sedan.
The 7er has always been locked in a technological battle to the death with the S-Class. Whenever a new feature like the car phone, autonomous braking, and massage seats come out, people say they "are pointless," then want to have them in their cheaper cars.
We don't know how long it will be before you can order a parking remote for your average compact. But Volkswagen and Ford are already developing such things. Still, the remote parking function on the new 7 Series is more complex than you'd think.
The new 7er has been available in Japan since October 2015. But it seems the remote feature has only now become available. The touch surface of the beautifully crafted key fog is used to control the car, which is advantageous in a tight parking situation.
Kids playing with their remote control cars often use them to knock over the small objects over or scare the cat. Even worse, pet torture is attempted by some. So could the 7 Series be used in a similar way, maybe to give 007 a slow and grueling death? No. When in RC mode, it drives very slowly, so the only animals that can't get away are slogs. And just in case you want to cause harm to another human being, BMW also installed a proximity sensor that immediately stops the car.
This 8-second video was filmed during a showcase of the new feature in Japan. The brakes are automatically engaged when a person or object is detected within 30 centimeters of the vehicle. Hopefully, it works better than that Volvo system that let the car crash into people a few years back because the battery was flat. And for the record, one of these optional remote parking thingamajigs costs 74,000 yen, equivalent to $680.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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