BMW says new 7 series will park itself without driver at wheel

[AF News Desk]

Remote control parking feature will give flagship sedan tech lead, company says

Using a new key fob, it is possible to maneuver the new BMW 7 series in or out of a space at a parking lot or a garage.

The BMW says its new 7-series flagship sedan will be the world’s first series-production car that can be parked without anyone at the wheel. The feature will help make the automaker's flagship the most technologically advanced model in its class, r&d boss Klaus Froehlich said. “The car will definitely take a leading-edge position in the industry,” he said at a pre-launch here this week near Marseille.
The event was used to showcase how BMW has made the 7 series lighter, more dynamic, more intuitive and capable of doing more things with limited driver input, including the remote-control parking.
BMW released details of the next 7 series in a statement today. The car is expected to go on sale in October after its debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September, company sources said.
When asked about the timing Timo Resch, project manager for BMW’s large cars and SUVs, said the most specific he could be was to say that sales will start in the second half of 2015. He added that the automaker will launch it simultaneously in Europe, the U.S. and China. China and U.S. account for 60 percent to 70 percent of the current 7-series’ global sales, and most of those sales are the long-wheelbase version of the car, the automaker said.
Resch expects the U.S., China and Europe, led by Germany and the UK, to remain the car’s top-ranking markets followed by the Middle East, South Korea, Japan and Russia. The 7 series will also be one of the stars of BMW’s stand at the Frankfurt auto show in September.
More details on the car’s pricing, market launch times and design will be revealed in June. The vehicles tested this week had partially camouflaged exteriors and interiors.

http://europe.autonews.com/article/2...river-at-wheel