We have no idea when parking a car became so unbelievably hard that all car makers decided they should invest millions of dollars developing camera and radar-based systems to make it easier. Maybe they think we are all useless drivers. Take the new Nissan Qashqai for example. The car gets a new Park Assist system with around view cameras that offer a helicopter view.

What’s more, the car steers itself into the parking space. It’s not a new technology; even Kias have it these days. But it is still very impressive. What 2014 Nissan Qashqai does is combine the autonomous steering feature with the Around View Monitor to make parallel parking a piece of cake.

The advanced parking system requires a space which is just 80cm longer than the length of the Qashqai to be able to automatically steer the car neatly into position, saving time and avoiding damage to wheels, tyres and bodywork. The system can also assist in bay parking, with the driver benefitting from the ‘helicopter view’ provided by the Around View Monitor (AVM) to guide them through the process. Once the system has detected the white lines of an empty bay (required for the system to operate), it will automatically park inside them.

The Qashqai comes with a staggering number of cameras for a car of this type. It has cameras mounted on the tailgate, front grille and beneath each door mirror. What’s more, they have devised a system that washing and blow drying the lenses with a small high pressure water jet and compressed air nozzle. All this effort for parking!