Tight traffic is no issue for this crab-walking Hyundai concept

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Is there anything more oh-so-yesterday than moving the steering wheel and your car just turns a corner? Hyundai Mobis thinks so, and showed off the latest version of its “crab-driving” platform at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in early January.

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Headquartered in South Korea, Hyundai Mobis is the auto conglomerate’s automotive parts affiliate, supplying parts and technology to Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.

At the show, the company introduced its M.Vision TO concept vehicle, based on a scalable platform that can be adjusted to various shapes and sizes, depending on the purpose.

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Its neatest trick – demonstrated on its YouTube video using a Hyundai Ioniq 5 – is its “e-Corner System.” Using in-wheel motors, and with wheels that can turn up to 90 degrees, it enables a vehicle to move sideways or diagonally, make a zero turn, or pivot on its front or rear wheels. Hyundai Mobis said this allows a “wide range of user-specific applications,” including driving on narrow downtown streets or when delivering cargo.

That sideways motion isn’t new. We first saw it in production on the GMC Hummer EV, and then heard the news that Ford may have patented its version of the sideways shimmy. Hyundai Mobis is presenting it as one of a number of features made available through hardware and software – including a plan to develop a Level 3 autonomous driving controller in conjunction with the Snapdragon Ride Platform from Qualcomm, which is working on driverless taxis and ride-hailing vehicles.

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But we’re all about the way-cool factor of the e-Corner, which could mean quick parallel-parking without taking stunt driver training, or being able to turn around on the tightest of tight streets without making a 12-point turn.

Hyundai Mobis expects to finish the development of its new advanced driver-assistance systems, including some building blocks for higher levels of autonomous driving, within the first half of 2023, and with automaker orders to come in from there. E-Cornering could potentially show up within a couple of years of that, and we’ll be waiting.