Ford Motor Co. says it has developed a car that can sniff out open parking spaces ahead — and then park itself in that space, even without a driver behind the wheel.
The Dearborn automaker intends to show off the feature today to journalists at its proving ground in Belgium. Ford has not announced plans to include the technology in specific vehicles, but said it will take a serious look at implementing it in the future.
Ford’s technology introduction is the latest example of one-upmanship among automakers, who are racing to create production-ready autonomous vehicles as early as the end of the decade. While several automakers already offer cars that can park themselves, some — including Ford and Volvo — are testing more advanced self-parking systems.