TO help solve mounting parking problems in Shanghai, the city's government has turned to a Japanese manufacturer of automated parking systems.
The state-owned Shanghai Dong Fend Machine Works has contracted Japan's Nissei Build to construct China's first fully automated parking tower.
The tower, accommodating 40 cars, will be completed by August, with a further 10 orders anticipated.
The space-saving parking systems stack cars vertically in steel towers and use high-speed computer-controlled elevators to park and retrieve cars.
They occupy an area equivalent to three conventionally parked cars (about 505 square feet) to accommodate up to 50 cars.
Nissei Build has patented much of the technology, a move that gives it a clear lead over potential rivals.
