WATCH | An easy-parking Hyundai that drives sideways like a crab

Parallel parking is the bane of many a driver but what if, instead of the tricky reversing, you could scoot the car sideways into the parking space like a crab?

Hyundai has been working on just such a system. Called e-Corner, it is getting closer to production reality after Hyundai's Mobis division displayed the concept at last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The company used a Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric vehicle to demonstrate the clever system, which works by being able to turn the car's wheels up to 90 degrees. 

e-Corner is a single unit that combines suspension, steering, driving, and braking functions. Because it uses an in-wheel motor for drive power instead of a driven axle, all four wheels can be turned up to 90 degrees. It results in a tiny turning circle, the ability to move diagonally, and rotate on the spot, giving the car previously unheard-of manoeuvrability in congested or narrow streets.

Hyundai Mobis said it planned to begin rolling out the technology in 2025. 

Now sit back and watch the real-life motions of crab driving in action.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.