Ever wonder what really happens after you hand the valet the keys to your brand-new sports car? Soon, you’ll be able to view the potentially cringe-worthy details of your parking attendant’s joy ride.
Chevrolet unveiled a new version of its Valet Mode feature, which will not only lock your car’s interior storage compartments and disable infotainment, but also record HD video, in-car audio, and data such as speed, engine RPM, gear position, and g-force. The upgraded feature is aimed at giving you greater piece of mind when handing over your precious ride to a valet.
Turning on Valet Mode is as easy as entering your four-digit pin into the car’s touch screen. Once you get your car back, you can review the data on the in-dash screen or download it to your home computer to check it out later.
“Think of it as a baby monitor for your car,” Corvette product manager Harlan Charles said in a statement. “Anyone who has felt apprehension about handing over their keys will appreciate the peace of mind of knowing exactly what happened while their baby was out of sight.”
The upgraded Valet Mode will be available as a standard feature on all 2015 Corvette models.
Meanwhile, Chevrolet is also betting big on in-car 4G LTE connectivity. At CES in January, the company said that most of its 2015-model U.S. and Canadian vehicles will have a built-in 4G LTE connection. Each car will essentially function as a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot, letting passengers and families connect several smartphones, tablets, and laptops to the Internet at once.
