The company that invented the three-point seatbelt has now invented the car that can park itself — but unlike other systems it doesn’t need a driver behind the wheel. Volvo’s new family-sized SUV due on sale late next year will be able to “valet” park itself using a smartphone app.

It means drivers will be able to drive themselves to the main entrance of a shopping centre, for example, and then have the car park itself at the touch of a smartphone screen.

Volvo is due to demonstrate the system next week at a technology conference in Sweden. However, it is unclear whether public liability laws would make it legal in Australia and other countries. News Limited is making inquiries with local authorities.

“The driverless car interacts safely and smoothly with other cars and pedestrians in the car park,” says Thomas Broberg, Volvo’s top safety expert. “The driver just drops the vehicle off at the entrance to the car park and picks it up in the same place later.”

There is a catch to the system, however. For now it relies on car parks to have special transmitters hidden in the road to help the car navigate spaces.

Volvo Australia also says development of the technology is still in its infancy, but next year’s XC90 SUV will have radar systems and other sensors that will lead to valet parking. “Eventually, cars will be capable of parking themselves but we are long way off talking to, for example, car park operators about installing the necessary infrastructure,” says Volvo Australia spokesman Oliver Peagam.

Self-parking technology was introduced in Australia on a luxury Lexus sedan in 2008 and is now available on more affordable models such as the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Toyota Prius and the just-released Holden Commodore.

Sensors in the front and rear bumpers enable the car to pinpoint car spaces at the press of a button. The driver must still select reverse and apply the brakes but the car will steer itself perfectly into position. The arrival of such technology — including driverless Google Maps cars — has prompted safety experts to question whether it is a good idea to gradually take control away from the driver. Detractors say technology cannot be relied upon. But, reportedly, the only time a Google Maps car was involved in a crash it was driver error.



This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling