What does an A with a circle mean on a car?
2 Answers
An A with a circle on a car represents the Auto Hold system. Its function is to automatically hold the vehicle, controlled by the ESP component. After turning on this switch, when the vehicle is braked during driving, even if you release the brake pedal, the vehicle will not continue moving. It will only resume movement when the accelerator is pressed, and it can only be turned off manually. When the vehicle is temporarily stopped and needs to restart within a short period, the parking function is handled by the ESP-controlled brakes. The computer uses a series of sensors to measure the vehicle's levelness and wheel torque, determining any tendency for the vehicle to roll. It then applies an appropriate braking force to keep the vehicle stationary. This braking force is just enough to prevent the vehicle from moving without being too strong, ensuring that when the accelerator is pressed again, there won't be a severe lurch forward.
A friend asked about the circle-A symbol in my car the other day. It's actually the indicator light for the auto start-stop function. When you brake at a red light, the engine automatically shuts off to save fuel, and instantly restarts when you press the accelerator. This feature is especially useful in traffic jams - it saves me a lot on fuel costs for my urban commute. However, frequent starts and stops can affect comfort when using AC in summer, so there's usually an A-button near the steering wheel to manually deactivate it. Some models automatically disable this function in low temperatures or when the battery is low, causing the indicator light to turn off or yellow.
