Volkswagen recently launched a funny ad showing how easy it is to back up trailer using their VW Trailer Assist feature. The advertisement somehow resembles a hidden camera footage.

It all seemed very funny and unusual, some passers-by were practically in shock, which is quite understandable. Imagine how you would react if you were on the road and suddenly overtaken by the Volkswagen Passat with a trailer – driving backwards.

Volkswagen Trailer Assist behind the scenes video

How Volkswagen Passat became trailer?

In the video the car and the trailer change places as car is towed by trailer. Professional driver (stuntman) is sitting in a specially engineered and constructed trailer that was created from a small car cut in half. The trailer has its own powertrain including a 1.4-liter engine with its own propulsion and steering.

They installed the driver’s seat into the trailer frame and dressed all together in a transparent Plexiglas wall, covered with foil, which allows the view from the inside out. From the outside it looks like a normal trailer. In this way, the driver of the trailer had an excellent view of the road and at the same time he was hidden from the curious eyes of outside observers.

The Passat also had a driver, which had to steer the car, according to the instructions from the trailer driver.

Both drivers masterfully coordinated the movement of the composition and shocked passersby with the unimaginable reversing.

How does the real VW Trailer Assist system work?

In theory, the driver selects the direction of the trailer by using the joystick. Then he just puts the car in reverse and controls the acceleration and braking. The car automatically makes all the necessary steering to move the trailer in the selected direction. The electronic assistant, given the live image from the camera, calculates the appropriate steering angle of the wheels and automatically spins the steering wheel.

Volkswagen Trailer Assist otherwise works well, but still requires some prior knowledge in terms of driving a trailer. The driver still has to notify the system about the change of direction, otherwise the parking can not be successful.

Image credit: Volkswagen
Video credit: Volkswagen Norge