Volvo automatic parking system fails as car drives into two men

Volvo has given us a horrifying glimpse of what could go wrong in the not-too-distant future when a self-parking car went haywire and crashed into two people.

Journalists gathered to watch the Swedish-built Volvo XC60 demonstrate its state-of-the-art parking assist system at a demonstration in the Dominican Republic.

Holding their phones up to record the demo, the crowd gathered in front of the "driverless" car, Remolacha reports.

The vehicle did not move for several seconds but then suddenly started driving with increasing speed right at the crowd.

The car knocked one onlooker to the ground and sent the other one scrambling backwards away from the possessed machine.

Both men were said to be fine, with Remolacha reporting the demonstrators forgot to enable the "City Safe" mode.

It is not the first time safety-renowned Volvo's automatic functions have failed spectacularly.

A 2010 press demonstration of the S60's automatic braking system also proved a disaster — this time in front of several members of the press.

Designed to prevent rear-endings, the automatic brakes failed as cameras rolled and the sedan slammed into a parked truck at 35km/h.