Daimler, Bosch get approval to test driverless valet parking

BERLIN (Reuters) - Daimler <DAIGn.DE> and auto supplier Bosch will start valet parking using autonomous driving technology in Stuttgart, Germany, after local authorities gave the carmaker permission to start testing the technology.

The automated valet parking service will start at the Mercedes-Benz Museum parking garage, using infrastructure provided by Bosch and vehicle technology from Daimler, Bosch said.

It will be the first fully automated driverless system categorised as "Level 4" automation which has been approved for everyday use, Bosch said.

The technology, accessed via a smartphone app, enables the car to drive itself to an assigned space and park once the driver has left the parking garage. It can return the car to the drop-off point in the same way, Bosch said.

Bosch and Daimler have been cooperating on the development of fully automated driverless parking since 2015.

"This approval ... sets a precedent for obtaining approval in the future for the parking service in parking garages around the world," Michael Hafner, head of drive technologies and automated driving at Daimler, said in a statement.

(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; editing by Jason Neely)