- The smart new Ford Focus brings active park to the small car segment, helping automatically position and steer the vehicle when parallel parking
- Focus with active park assist provides convenient solutions for everyday challenges such as choosing a spot, calculating appropriate trajectory angle and vehicle positioning
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24, 2011 The substantial technology investment for the all-new, next-generation Ford Focus brings an unprecedented level of driver assistance features to its segment, including an advanced parking assist technology generally found only in larger, more expensive vehicles.
Crowded urban parking puts additional pressure on the driver, said Ali Jammoul, director, chassis engineering. Focus gives buyers a compelling option in active park assist, designed to make parallel parking a breeze.
Painless parallel parking
The new Focus offers available with active park assist, an advanced new system which automatically steers the vehicle into parallel parking spaces. The system uses two ultrasonic sensors (one on each side of the vehicle) to scan for large enough space between parked cars these spaces can be just three feet longer than the overall vehicle length.
Once a suitable space has been identified, the driver is alerted and clear parking instructions are shown in the cluster display using simple text and graphics. The driver controls the accelerator and brake, and selects a forward or reverse gear, while the system turns the steering wheel automatically.
The standard front and rear parking sensors provide an audible warning to help the driver judge when the car is getting close to the surrounding vehicles. To assist accurate parking in tight spots, the system will ask the driver to move the vehicle backward and forward until properly positioned.
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 163,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.