September 28, 2006-Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has developed a new system that combines steering assistance with voice guidance to help make parking easier. The new Honda Parking Assist System will be available on the Honda Life, to be released in Japan on October 5, 2006.

The key to trouble-free parking is to stop the vehicle at the optimal location from which to reverse into the parking space and then turn the steering wheel to the appropriate angle for backing up. The Smart Parking System helps make this easier by providing automatic steering assist along a preset path to guide the driver to the optimal position from which to start backing into the parking space. The driver then follows the instructions from the audio guidance system, executing parallel or back-in parking without the need for any complex maneuvering. Thanks to its simple configuration, the system does not require a video monitor.

<How It Works>

STEP1

For back-in parking, stop the car when the mark on the front door lining lines up with the painted perpendicular line of the space in which you plan to park. For parallel parking, line the mark up with the front of the vehicle parked in the space behind. Push the dedicated button to start the system.

STEP2

Gently release your foot from the brake and allow the car to move forward slowly. The system will operate the steering wheel, guiding the car to the optimal position from which to reverse into the parking space.

STEP3

Maintain the steering wheel’s position as you reverse the car until the audio guidance starts. Stop the vehicle and turn the steering wheel as instructed by the