A World First for Valeo's Park4U(R) on the New Volkswagen Touran and Sharan

PARIS, October 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The new Volkswagen Touran and Sharan are to be equipped with the latest generation of Valeo's semi-automatic parking system, Park4U(R).

Park4U(R) uses ultrasonic sensors located in the front and rear bumpers to precisely calculate the length of the parking slot available, and automatically maneuvers the car into the slot.

The new version needs only 40 cm of clearance at either end of the vehicle to be able to park, a reduction of 43% compared to the first generation, made possible by a more sophisticated geometric calculation. In addition, steering assistance no longer ends when the car first goes into reverse, but continues to help the driver until the vehicle is parked, however many maneuvers may be necessary for a short parking slot.

Park4U(R) also allows the motorist to exit a parking space, even if it is very tight (25 cm at either end). It assesses the space available in front and behind the vehicle, and calculates the most appropriate maneuver. The driver remains in control of the speed, but the system takes control of steering, as when parking. The system also detects the best moment to exit the parking space, and automatically deactivates to let the driver merge into the traffic.

After the worldwide success of the first version of Park4U(R), Valeo has taken into account end users' additional requests, and the new generation also offers drivers assistance in reversing into a space that is perpendicular to the road, on a bend or in a narrow street. Last but not least the parking trajectory has become so flexible that it can adapt to nearly all individual situations, for even more natural parking.

To date, 22 models from seven different brands have been equipped with Valeo's Park4U(R). By the end of 2011, these figures will rise to 38 models and 12 brands.

Valeo is confirming its leadership in parking and manoeuvring solutions.

Valeo is an independent industrial Group fully focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for the automotive industry, mainly for CO2 emissions reduction. Valeo ranks among the world's top automotive suppliers. The Group has 117 plants, 21 Research centers, 40 Development centers, 10 distribution platforms and employs 56,000 people in 27 countries worldwide.

For more information about the Valeo Group and its activities, please visit our web site

http://www.valeo.com.

SOURCE Valeo