Can I just make a plea to leave this kind of shit at Fark? Why must garbage infect the rest of the internet, just because one site is drowning in the same two or three cliches?
As a regular reader of Fark, let me just say… huh? What cliche? And what’s wrong with someone commenting about the inanities of Firefox and, I assume from the context, its spellchecking?
I have no problem with dealers installing this kind of automated driving system as long as part of the package includes installing electrodes in the driver’s seat to shock and incapacitate the driver every time he/she tries to make the car operate ‘unsafely’. The car can then signal to change lanes and move when safe over to the shoulder of the road to park until the driver regains consciousness.
Don’t think of it as technology out of control; think of it as ‘the Socratic method of learning to drive’. 
Well, that review certainly makes this “feature” sound like one of the biggest wastes of time and money in automobile history.
Seems to me a better feature would by smaller wheels that lower from the undercarriage, lifting the four main wheels off the ground, and letting the car move sideways.
Well, yes and no. It’s a ridiculously immature technology to be releasing into the wild, obviously, and any sales it generates could bite poor, poor Lexus in the pants once the righteous indignation of rich idiots becomes a full-scale backlash.
On the other hand, increasing vehicle automation will happen. It’s only a matter of how and how long it will take. They’ve got to start somewhere, and the real world is the only laboratory that will do, ultimately. I just find it incredible that they didn’t make this explicitly an experimental technology to be implemented only by brave, well-heeled technophiles with a sense of adventure, vs. selling it to the average wealthy douchebag who really can’t parallel park, and thinks this is somehow the way to compensate for their deficits.
As **Loopydude ** stated, they have to start somewhere. What this basically does for Lexus is create excitement over how ‘advanced’ this car is. Not only that, it is a first step towards technological advancement in this category. Perhaps what Lord Ashtar stated is not too far off, someday you might be able to sit back and relax while your car SAFELY takes you to your destination.
I believe Honda invented the navigational system back in the 1980’s (no cite, someone help me) and I am sure there were people who said it would cause accidents and create havoc on the roads, but it has actually been a nice little tool used in cars.
Same goes for Mercedes’ Distronic Plus cruise control system (which will basically stop and/or slow down the car by itself) and Night Vision, which allows you to see in the darkest of situations. I am sure when a person ignorant of the facts come along, they think of the dangers, not the possibilities.
I am not defending the self-parking of the Lexus by any means. It is more propoganda than anything. But it is a step in a more advanced automobile, that perhaps could lead to a safer car.
Well, perhaps “waste of time and money” was the wrong phrase. I’m sure you’re right that this sort of thing will be improved and will appear on more cars as time goes by. My point was that, as it currently appears to operate, the system has no place in a production car.
Right now, it’s little more than a piece of auto porn that Lexus can tout as The Next Big Thing, and that Lexus owners can use when comparing their penises with BMW, Mercedes, and Audi owners.
That I agree with, and, as I said, it could very well be a big mistake on their part to include something in a car of so little practical worth that does nothing to enhance the luxury or appearance of the car. It’s almost more of a trap than anything, so I’m as baffled as anyone over why they’d choose to release it in its current form.
I don’t think that would ever go over with the public. For one, it would take away people’s ability to speed, and I don’t think some folks would want to surrender that option.
Secondly, a lot of people like piloting their own vehicles. “Might as well take a *train *at that point,” my cousin sniffed in derision when we were talking about this very idea a few months back. From the following conversation, I discovered he had vague but firm notions about “independence” that somehow tied in “the American Way” which would be diminished by auto-piloted cars.
Because it sells cars. I was at the Miami Auto Show a few weeks back. As usual, the Mercedes area was packed, just because people like to look at expensive cars. Lexus was dead, which is pretty unusual because the last two auto shows I went to had a packed Lexus area.
Everytime the announcer lady would get on this pedestal to talk about the new Lexus, the crowd would ooh and aah at this car, not because of the looks (IMO it looks like the BMW 7-series) but because of the parking assist thing. It probably helps sell other Lexus cars also. It is the same reason we do not care if we sell the 450k SLR in our showroom. It excites people when they come in and helps us sell our 34k car also. There is so much competition out there and any little bit of excitement created is good. I know it cost them good money to come up with this technology, but it is probably worth it in word of mouth advertising alone. Without it, how much hoopla would there be about the car?
Yup, it’s a loss-leader, just like an actual flagship car usually is.
Concept’s pretty simple- think Chevy Corvette. Even if it’s never profitable itself, its existence adds gloss to the rest of the Chevy lineup (witness the Chevy Cobalt SS commercial in which it “plays” with a Corvette).
Lexus has just taken that idea and applied it to an option that will get people talking, rather than a whole car.
Actually sounds kinda cool.
Especially since my eyes have never been aligned well enough to provide true depth perception, so I typically avoid tight parallel parking situations. Good thing I don’t live in the city somewhere with on-street parking.
What are you talking about? At least among the German manufacturers, the highest margins are on their expensive flagships: the BMW 7-series, the Mercedes S and SL and CL, and so forth.
And I doubt Lexus is any different. The LS460 is definitely not a loss-leader.
GM may very well be so screwed up that they lose money on the Corvette, but you can’t count those jokers.
Hah, a commercial showing the LS parking itself just came on. You know, I wonder how much their sales would go down if, instead of someone with an over-the-top English accent doing the voiceover, it was someone with an over-the-top Japanese accent.
The thing is, Lexus can almost be thought of as the Q division of Toyota: they introduce the cutting-edge features like VDIM, Hybrid Synergy Drive, Automatic Parking, etc., that would be way to expensive to immediately put mass production models like the Corolla (which has a much lower margin). After a few years, these features become accepted as cool but not unbelievable, production costs go down and bugs get worked out, and these once-cutting edge features now are ready to go into millions of Toyotas.
Happy Wanderer yo are way ahead of me, I’m still astounded that items like motors are allowed on public streets, hell if one can’t pedal there that person should not be on a public street at all - 380 HP nothing, those people should not be allowed 2 hp.
It was the asides with cascading slashes I was objecting to.
The Citroen C6 has a “lane change warning”, where in if you try to steer left or right at speed without using the turn signal, the seats vibrate, either on your left buttock or right, depending on which way you were trying to turn.
What this is suppose to do, I’ve no idea, but I’m sure it’s fun for someone else who doesn;t know about the feature to try driving it.
It would be incredibly cool if it were useful. But it isn’t.
I guess I can’t quite get my head around the idea of generating “buzz” with something that is so clearly unable to perform any useful function in any but the most ideal and unrealistic circumstances. I mean, I could have gotten a GPS navigation system in my car, but I didn’t because I don’t need it, and I don’t think anyone but a traveling salesman, perhaps, really does. It’s a status toy. However, it reportedly actually works as advertised, and, no surprise, the option package which includes the nav. system is the most popular one in my area, according to the dealer. It’s an overpriced, totally superfluous toy, but at least it works. Lexus is distinguished from its competitors by quality more than any other attribute, I think. The Lexus brand is the most reliable on the road. So why put this p.o.s. parking doodad in when it’s such a joke? How is that an enhancement? Are luxury car purchasers really that stupid?
Take a look at the part of my post that you didn’t quote and you will see why I would like some help in parallel parking. Even a silly little buzzer that says I’m within a foot of another car would be better than nothing.
I suppose if you are able to parallel park like this you don’t need some lame-ass whizbang gadget helping 
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