With 3.15 inches to spare, this is officially the world’s tightest parallel park

By Andrew Hard Published November 24, 2014

Most people agree that for something to be a sport, it must be both athletic and competitive. I’m not sure parallel parking qualifies, but if solo synchronized swimming can make it to the Olympics, competitive parking can too.

If that ever happens, a Chinese stunt driver named Han Yue has a great shot to win the gold.

Recommended Videos

At the 2014 China Drift Championship held in Chongqing, Yue slid into the history books by parallel parking a MINI 3-door Hatch between two others just like it. When it was all said and done, there were only 3.15 inches of room in total to spare.

A video of the feat has been posted by Guinness World Records, which includes Yue’s test run before the final attempt. To break the record, Yue races toward the opening at a comfortable speed, then engages the emergency brake, whipping the MINI into place without a scratch. After the dust settled, not even the tape used to measure the gap would fit between the MINIs.

Han-Yue-parallel-parking-record-2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Afterward, Yue’s team materialized around him to throw him in the air, which was probably the most athletic thing to happen all day.

From the looks of his jumpsuit, Yue is sponsored by Red Bull, who will hopefully provide the wings it’ll take to get out of that spot.

The previous record was an impressive 3.38 inches, set last year by an Englishman named Alistair Moffat. Moffat was more accurate than the 2012 measure of 5.9 inches, set by none other than Han Yue himself.

His technique is undeniably impressive, but amateur motorists take note: this type of maneuver will probably put an end to your driver’s test pretty quick.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…

Cars

Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work

Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Cars

Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?

Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Cars

EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says

ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.