Featured Image Credit: u/wilsonofoz / Reddit
A revolutionary new car can slide sideways into tight spots and it could make stressful parking a thing of the past.
But viewers noticed a detail that shows the technology may not be as sleek as it first seems.
A post on Reddit's interestingasf*ck forum has gone viral for its 'crab walking' manoeuvre that looks to make all your parking worries disappear. The seemingly next-gen vehicle can spin its 'rear wheels in opposite directions,' allowing it to effortlessly glide sideways into a spot.
For quite some time, car manufacturers have been trying to develop self-parking systems that can steer vehicles into spaces automatically.
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But this technology looks like something else!
Now, Chinese automaker IM Motors appears to be taking things a step further with a car that can slide sideways - something no other vehicle has been seen doing quite like this. Shared on Chinese social media, another clip showed a camouflaged electric prototype in action inside a parking garage.
After a passenger steps out and shuts the door, the car smoothly drives sideways and directly into a parking space.
At first glimpse, the action looks to be completely done without human input, but if you look closer, it's not completely autonomous.
Turns out, there is a human driver behind the wheel of the sedan and shortly after the door is closed, they can be seen steering to the left. But it still looks a heck of a lot easier than the usual back-and-forth motions most motorists are used to.
However, viewers are noticing that the clips of the cars parking is done on wet ground - which begs the question: How will the car steer sideways on dry ground?
"I’d like to see and hear that on a dry road," one person commented.
"They also show it work on wet pavement and very slick pavement. Let's see it on something with some texture and grip," another replied.
Judging by the way the car moves, it’s easy to imagine the harsh friction wearing them down quickly - not to mention the unpleasant screeching sound that's to be expected. "I feel like that’s gonna be hell on the tires," someone else remarked whilst another joked: "Slowkyo Drift".
Meanwhile, other users on Reddit welcomed the helpfulness of this up-and-coming technology. One viewer replied: "I'll disagree with the other comments and say this looks awesome. I often drive to a city where it is a huge pain in the a** to park and there are only only small parallel spots.
"If this actually worked and didn't chew up the tires too badly (I'd honestly be okay if it increased tire wear by up to 10-15%), then I'd definitely be interested."
Someone else chimed in: "The 1,000 people who regularly drive to work and have to parallel park everyday are leaning off their seats".
