Many of us have experienced the problem of getting into a tight parking spot, only to find we can’t open the door to get out, or struggle greatly to do so. However, the new Display Key for the 2016 BMW 7-Series could solve this problem.
The G11/G12 7-Series will have a key fob which has a digital screen with a Remote Control Parking (RCP) feature, a world first. This will be the second BMW to have a smart key fob, after the i8 (a hybrid sports coupe), but it is the first to feature RCP.
This feature could help you fit into a space which is too tight for you to open your door, or be utilised by car attendants who want to get as many cars parked side by side as possible, and will therefore benefit from smaller gaps between cars.
Admittedly there are some limitations, however, based on reports so far. The car is only able to travel up to 1.5 times the length of the car, when entering or leaving a parking space.
Also, the vehicle must always be positioned centrally, directly in front of the parking space, indicating the key fob can only make the car move forwards and backwards.
BMW has yet to reveal the full details of this smart – albeit slightly gimmicky – key fob, but we do know it has a 2.2in touchscreen with a screen resolution of 320×240 pixels.
One potential issue that we noticed is if the key fob runs on a battery, is there a chance of you parking you car into an incredible tight space, to then find you can’t drive it back out remotely later as the battery has died? We could be wrong but that would be inconvenient to say the least, and hopefully BMW has thought of that!
