This article will examine the history and evolution of solutions to that dilemma, including but not limited to smart parking systems that, in today’s parlance, are generally considered to be those where drivers park their own cars. These solutions are currently the pinnacle of the evolution of parking systems, as management of space allocation and charging drivers for their use of the space is automated, so no human attendants are required. Most such systems are based on ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras.

We’ll get back to a discussion of those relatively modern systems and their history. First, though, we’ll explore automated parking systems (APS) of different types, particularly those operated without driver involvement that, in most cases, had less capacity than modern high-rise parking garages.

The First Automated Parking Systems

The Garage Rue de Ponthieu in Paris was built in 1905. A multi-level concrete structure incorporated internal elevators to move cars up and down to and from the various levels where attendants parked the cars. The elevators saved the space that many garages now occupy with ramps.

In the 1920s, a system called the Paternoster became popular. It was a sort of Ferris wheel type of arrangement occupying the footprint of two cars, but usually with the capacity of eight cars. A chain was routed over sprockets at the top of the structure and under the floor, and compartments attached to the chain each held one vehicle. The compartments became accessible at the floor level in succession as the chain rotated over the sprockets.

About the same, a system called the Kent Automatic Garages gained popularity. In this arrangement, an electric “parker” lifted the rear wheels of a car and moved it to or from an available space using an elevator to move among levels in the garage. One of the first of these was installed in New York in 1928. It worked pretty efficiently, parking and retrieving cars in as little as 15 seconds, depending on the level of the space they occupied in the 1,000-car facility.

As larger cars became the norm after WWII, these garages became obsolete, and most were converted to office space or were demolished.

Continuing History of APSs

A ten-year span in the late 1940s and early 1950s saw a spurt of interest in APSs in the U.S. In 1957, 74 Bowser, Pigeon Hole, and Roto Park systems were built. As the systems experienced mechanical problems and people became impatient with long waits for their cars, their popularity waned.

In London, the Auto Stacker system opened in 1961, though it soon developed similar difficulties to the U.S. systems.

There was a lull in interest in APSs in the U.S. until the early 1990s. However, Europe, Asia, and Central America saw many systems beginning in the 1970s. The Paternoster systems we described earlier regained interest in Japan, and spaces for a total of about 40,000 cars using that system were built annually from the early 1990s and over the next twenty years.

Currently, the largest APS is in Kuwait, with a capacity of 2,314 cars. The largest APS in Europe is in Denmark, capable of handling 1,000 vehicles simultaneously and using 20 elevators.

ANPR-Based Smart Parking Systems As We Know Them Today

While APS systems save space and have other advantages, they are unsuited for high peak volumes, such as city rush hours or event stadiums. Sequential parking and retrieval of cars take too long for these applications.

Multi-level self-parking systems are the norm in high peak volume applications. The most effective smart parking systems for self-parking garages use ANPR cameras. However, some, mostly older, facilities use RFID chips or QR codes in plastic cards or stickers attached to the car.

ANPR cameras have several advantages over the electronic code-based systems:

• Nothing has to be attached to the car, so any vehicle can be accommodated, whether an occasional user with no contract or someone who parks there every day. Those without a prearranged relationship must take a time-stamped card and pay when they exit in a code-based system, and this process takes time.
• There is no need for cars to come to a full stop when they enter the garage. This speeds up flow and reduces or even eliminates congestion on the street, to the delight of parkers, traffic authorities, and passing motorists.
• ANPR-based smart parking systems can easily accommodate advance reservations from anywhere in the world. When someone makes a reservation to park, they enter their license plate number. When they arrive to claim their reserved spot, the system immediately recognizes them and admits them to the facility.

ANPR cameras have been used in smart parking systems since the early 21st century and have become a mainstay in modern parking management. By all indications, they will continue to figure in more advanced smart parking systems.

Many different types of parking systems with varying degrees of automation have been tried and used since motorization became part of our lives. Since the early 21st century, ANPR-based smart parking systems have dominated the industry, and the flexibility they offer is hard to beat. When a camera has recorded a plate number and identified the vehicle and person associated with it, that data can be used in many ways, including parking management.

Adaptive Recognition offers the highest quality and most flexible plate recognition technology available. To learn more and discuss your parking system needs, check out their website or contact one of their experts.

In this article we are going over the Top 50 models ranking up to October 2023 of the largest European car market.

The undiscussed leader remains the Volkswagen Golf, now in its eighth generation model. Reporting 64,930 sales,  a 7.8% year-on-year loss.

The Volkswagen T-roc maintains 2nd spot with 59,337 new sales (+19.6%), in front of the Volkswagen Tiguan which sold 52,887 units (+15.9%).

The Opel Corsa maintains 4th spot with 44,662 sales (+10.8%), in front of the Volkswagen Passat -up 1 spot- with 40,571 sales (+23.9%), the Tesla Model Y at 40,257 (+66.5%) and the Mercedes C Class with 38,527 new sales (+41.8%).

The Mini falls 3 spots into 8th with 37,756 sales (+14.9%), followed by the Skoda Octavia with 36,324 registrations (+24.0%) and finally the Volkswagen ID.4 -up 39 spots- with 30,657 units sold (+107.4%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for Top 50 models.

France Best Selling Cars ranking up to October 2023, reports the Renault Clio as new segment leader (+54.6%). Peugeot 208 BEV  and Tesla Model Y enter the top 10 booming more than 350%. The Peugeot 208 loses 42.9% in volume.

In France more than in any part of the World, local consumer’s prefer to purchase local manufacturer and vehicles produced by Renault or Stellantis dominate the ranking of best-selling cars.

Considering YTD data up to October 2023 the leader is the Renault Clio -up 2 spots- with 80,323 sales, an 54.6% year-on-year growth.

The Dacia Sandero in second place with 57,825 sales (+10.5%) in front of the  Citroen C3  –up 1 spot- with 50,740 sales (+2.2%).

In fourth place ranks the Renault Captur with 40,149 sales (+5.0%) followed by the Peugeot 208 with 39,963 (-42.9%) and Peugeot 308  with 37,023 (+6.5%)

In seventh place, we find the Peugeot 208 BEV -up 34 spots- with 35,699 units sold (+357.6%) followed by the Tesla Model Y -up 40 spots- at 29,291 (+350.1%), the  Dacia Duster with 27,317 sales (+5.4%) and in 10th place the Peugeot 3008 with 25,864 (-10.9%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for the Top 50 models.

Looking at the top Japanese Best Selling Models up to October 2023 leadership is maintained by the Honda N-Box with 190,608 sales (+13.5%) in front of the Toyota Yaris with 163,214 new registrations (+13.0%).

Thanks to the last generation exploit, the Daihatsu Tanto protects 3rd place with 131,612 sales (+63.2%).

In fourth place ranks the Toyota Corolla -down 1 spot- with 130,146 units sold (+18.1%) followed by the Toyota Sienta -up from 20th spot- with 111,748 sales (+126.2%) and the Suzuki Spacia with 99,770 (+23.7%).

The Daihatsu Move ranks in 7th with 92,277 sales (+23.9%) ahead of the Nissan Note with 89,648 (-1.0%), the Toyota Noah -up 13 spots- with   83,968 sales (+77.3%).

The Toyota Prius -up 24 spots- closes the top 10 with 83,528 sales (+196.0%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for top 50 models.

In a market where the top two brands, Hyundai and Kia, control together over 70% of the market share and the top 10 best-selling models ranking is almost entirely held by the two Koreans.

Up to October 2023, the new best seller is a sedan, the very popular Hyundai Grandeur, which moves up  3 spots into leadership with 96,672 sales (+77.8%).

In second place previous year’s leader the Hyundai Porter with 82,367 sales (+8.2%) followed by the  Kia Sorento -down 1 spots- with 68,379 sales (+24.7%).

The Kia Carnival rises 2 spots into 4th with 58,695 sales (+32.9%) followed by the Kia Sportage with 58,028 new registrations (+33.6%), the Hyundai Avante with 54,394 units sold (+21.4%) and the Kia Bongo with 53,249 sales (-2.8%).

In 8th ranks the Kia Seltos -up 6 spots- with 42,633 new registrations (+21.3%) ahead of the Kia Ray with 42,089 units sold (+16.4%) and the Genesis G80 closing the top 10 with 38,084 sales (+0.0%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for Top 50 models.

The traditional narrow streets of the Italian towns and the difficulties to find parking areas continue to be the first driver for people to prefer small cars. In the last decade, the increased average price and the reduced purchasing power have further forced a large part of the population to choose a low-cost car, with the success of brands like Dacia, Kia, Hyundai.

After over 40 years from its arrival in the market, the best seller up to October 2023 is always the same: the city-car Fiat Panda which has a substantial advantage over all the followers (6.6% market share), with sales at 84,398 (-3.9%).

The Dacia Sandero, with 3.2% market share, rises 2 spots into 2nd with 40,717 units sold so far and a 49.0% increase from the previous year. The Lancia Ypsilon, ranks in 3rd position with 37,883 sales, an 8.9% year-on-year growth. 

The Toyota Yaris Cross rises 4 spots into 4th with 29,200 sales and a 33.7% boom in ytd volume.

The Volkswagen T-Roc jumps 6 spots into 5th with 27,240 sales (+29.5%), in front of the Fiat 500 at  26,590 (+9.3%), the Dacia Duster at 25,626 (+20.8%) and Ford Puma in 8th with 25,586 sales (+0.9%).

The Citroen C3 falls 6 spots into 9th with 25,379 sales (-8.6%) and the Fiato 500x rises 2 spots into 10th position with 24,581 registrations (+19.6%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for Top 40 models.

Fatigue Monitoring Tech

Ask any Charleston SC auto accident lawyer, and they’ll likely tell you that they’ve met with many accident victims involved in fatigue-related accidents. Falling asleep behind the wheel can have deadly consequences, with many people being severely injured or even killed. 

Being a responsible motorist can go a long way toward reducing the number of fatigue-related accidents. However, innovative technology available in late-model cars may also make a difference. 

Fatigue monitoring technology is designed to provide alerts for drivers based on when they’re driving and how long they’ve been driving for. Such technology is now commonplace in many workplaces, especially for employees operating heavy machineries like cars and semi trucks over extended periods. 

Pedestrian Detection

We can’t always control the actions of people around us. Some pedestrian accidents can be unavoidable, no matter how hard we try. However, pedestrian detection technology is aiming to make a difference. 

This form of technology involving radars and cameras enables many cars to recognize and detect pedestrians in a potential driving path. Some late-model vehicles can even change direction or brake to reduce the risk of a collision. 

Blind Spot Warning

Blind spots are areas outside a vehicle that a driver can’t see. Many vehicle design elements can influence blind spots, such as the front pillar thickness and angle, windshield angles, and the distance between the driver and the pillar. 

We may not be able to eliminate blind spots, but we can produce vehicles with innovative blind spot warning technology. Many new cars have audible alerts and visual cues to help drivers be aware of potential hazards in their blind spots. Some of the most advanced technology even automatically moves vehicles at risk of blind-spot-related accidents. 

Emergency Service Calling

Not everyone involved in a serious traffic accident is in a position to call for help. Your phone may not be in reach, or you may not even be conscious. Some new vehicles now come with automatic call functions. If your vehicle senses that you’ve been involved in an accident, it can call emergency services on your behalf. This eCall feature has the potential to be life-saving for many people. 

Lane Departure Warning System

Being a proficient driver involves staying in your designated driving lane to avoid interfering with oncoming traffic. However, lane departure accidents still happen. Veering into another driver’s lane can have deadly consequences, but lane departure warning systems are making a genuine difference. 

These systems are designed to warn drivers or correct their steering when they start to leave their own lanes. According to crash statistics, they’ve resulted in an 11% reduction in lane departure-related accidents.   

There’s no way to prevent all accidents and accident-related injuries, but technology is undoubtedly helping. These safety features above are just a few of the many that play a pivotal role in keeping us safe on the road. 

Monthly Lease Payments and Sales Tax

Just like financing a purchase, you’ll pay sales tax on your monthly lease payments in most cases. This varies by location, so verify your local rates. Some states even require full sales tax upfront. Either way, sales tax gets factored in.

Upfront Costs and Taxes

Leasing often requires upfront fees like a down payment, acquisition fee, and security deposit. While not technically taxes, they carry implications:

• Down payments may not be recoverable if the car is totaled or stolen.
• Some states tax acquisition fees separately.

Know the full upfront picture when budgeting for your lease.

Business vs. Personal Leasing

If you lease for business use, you may deduct a portion of payments as a business expense if you track mileage and usage. But for personal leasing, you can’t write off payments. Understanding the difference is key.

Mileage Limits and Excess Mileage Charges

Exceeding your mileage limit leads to charges, but you likely can’t deduct these on your taxes. To avoid excess mileage fees, monitor your driving and negotiate a higher limit upfront if needed. Staying within your miles keeps costs down.

End-of-Lease Options and Taxes

When your lease ends, what are your tax obligations?

• Returning the car – You pay any excess wear and mileage charges, which are not tax deductible.
• Buying out your lease – Sales tax applies just like with a used car purchase.
• Leasing again – Similar tax implications as your initial lease. Monthly sales tax still applies.

If leasing interests you, check out Mazda leasing with FVL (Fleet Van Leasing),  a trusted leasing provider. FVL offers competitive Mazda lease terms and flexibility around:

• Competitive Lease Terms: FVL offers competitive lease terms to meet your budget and needs.
• Flexible Options: FVL provides flexibility in terms of lease duration, mileage limits and upfront costs.
• End-of-Lease Assistance: FVL will also provide guidance on your end-of-lease options so you can make the right choice.

Whether leasing a Mazda or any vehicle, FVL helps simplify your drive.

Conclusion

Understanding how leasing affects your tax situation is key to making the smartest financial decisions. Consult a tax pro to ensure you maximize value and stay compliant. Follow these tips so you can cruise into your perfect lease with eyes wide open on the tax implications.

Top-rated car dash cams also have the GPS feature that helps drivers and vehicle owners unlock new levels of efficiency and safety on the road. Let’s discover the three most important things you need to know about AI-powered dash cams before you can purchase one and install it in your car or truck.

Four Main Types of AI Dash Cameras Exist

Different types of dashboard cameras exist. Each of these dash cameras comes with a unique set of benefits and features. These cameras include:

• Front view: A front view dash camera captures anything that happens in front of your car. It’s the most common and affordable dash camera option.
• Front and rear view: A front and rear view dashboard camera captures the road ahead and behind your vehicle.
• Cabin view: A cabin view dashboard camera captures your vehicle’s interior. This type is common with taxi and professional drivers.
• Dual channel: A dual dashboard cam features two separate cameras. One records the front view, while the other captures the cabin or rear view. With greater flexibility and coverage, a dual-channel camera allows you to record multiple areas of your truck or car simultaneously.

AI Dash Cameras are Easy to Download

It’s easier to install an AI-powered dashboard camera. Most of these gadgets come with a sticky pad or suction cup that secures the camera to your dashboard or windscreen.

During installation, you can position your camera either next to your rear-view mirror or behind and ensure your lens focuses on the road. After installation, adjust the viewing by simply rotating your camera to make sure that it captures and records the desired view.

A more advanced dash cam may need a professional to help you install it. This is particularly true when your camera needs to be hardwired into your car’s electrical system.

Dash Cams Are Legal to Use

In most states and countries, including the USA and the UK, dashboard cameras are legal. You can use them without any special permit. But you need to be aware of restrictions and guidelines you need to follow and adhere to when installing and using your dash camera, for example:

• Your dash cam must not block your view
• If you’ve got a cabin-facing dashboard cam, it’s vital to let your passengers know they’re being captured. You can encounter legal consequences when you film your passengers without their consent.

Are Dashboard Cameras Worth it?

The decision to purchase and install a dashboard camera depends on your personal needs and budget. A dashboard camera’s initial cost might be a deterrent, but the potential benefits far outweigh the expense. That means it’s worth it!

Excel Dataset

We purchase new vehicles registrations for 159 countries worldwide – included this one – from the local official authorities and receive a monthly file with raw data by country.

You can have access to this service:

• Data by Year/Month/Brand/Model/Segment
• Historical data (from 2010 to last month) and/or to monthly sales update.
• Next Year’s Forecast
• Data is released in excel via mail or cloud.

Last 2 years dataset cost €3.000. 

The service cost is correlated with the data perimeter and you will have a customized quotation just contacting us at info@focus2move.com

Market Report

The report provides a comprehensive and complete overview of the market competitive environment including information on the sales volumes of cars and light commercial vehicles, market size, market share, and industry trends.

Through our comprehensive global sales database and the expertise of seasoned consultants in this field, we can help you gain further insight into the automotive market trends and base your business decisions on actionable data.

Table of contents

• Country Overview
  • Geography
  • History
  • People & Politics
• Economic Outlook
  • Economy
  • Infrastructure
• Market Outlook
  • Market Heritage
  • Car Passenger’s segmentation
  • LCVs segmentation
  • Car Passengers Body Type mix
  • LCVs Body Type mix
  • Premium segment share
  • Chinese OEMs share
• Key Players
  • Top selling Groups 2022
  • Top selling Brands 2022
  • Premium Brands
  • Chinese Brands
• Market Data By Model
  • Top selling Models 2022
  • Top models by segment and body type
• Key Factors for market Evolution
  • Country development
  • Economic Outlook
  • Customer base evolution
  • Low-Carbon Transition Policy
  • Infrastructure & Investments
• 2023-2028 Volume Forecast
  • TIV evolution by segment
  • Cars and LCVs forecast
  • Segments forecast
  • Premium segment share forecast
  • Chinese OEMs share forecast
  • Forecast by Manufacturer

Price for market research: €2,500

Price for market research + Last 2 Years dataset in excel: €4,000

For further inquiries contact us at info@focus2move.com