Carmakers through the years have tried their hands in building self-parking systems in their vehicles to varying degrees of success. Cars from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and BMW have their own auto-park systems that allow for handsfree parallel parking while drivers take the backseat. New technology under development from Chinese carmaker IM Motors, however, looks to be ahead of the curve, offering the ability to drive sideways into the parking spot.

IM Motors recently posted a clip online of what seems to be a camouflaged EV prototype in a parking lot. As the video starts, a woman steps out of the car with some flowers in hand, and as she closes the door, the car appears to turn both sets of wheels sideways and simply drives into its parking space next to a wall.

The parking system is not exactly autonomous as the video from IM Motors shows a driver behind the wheel who steers to the left. The video suggests that a driver is required to initiate the parking by applying the throttle and steering the car, but it is the functionality of the system that begs a closer look. Both wheels appear to turn sideways to some extent, with the front pair facing toward the wall and the rear ones facing away from it.

This further implies that the car bears two individual motors located in the front and in the rear, each moving their respective set of wheels individually. With the front wheels turning forward and the rear wheels backwards, the car itself moves on a horizontal plane, making parallel parking look as easy as changing gears.

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While IM Motors has not published details regarding the make and model of the car in the video, it appears to bear some resemblance to the L6 electric sedan from the carmaker’s current lineup. The video does show the car under a camouflage, indicating that it might be an upcoming variant of the L6, or a totally different car. As of now, it is unclear whether this system will ever actually make it to a launch.

This is not the first time that a car has been seen to have some sort of mechanism to drive sideways. While Hyundai in 2023 showcased their e-Corner system that turned all four wheels 90 degrees laterally, this concept dates all the way back to the 1930s. Brooks Walker, an inventor from California, had demonstrated his self-parking four-door Packard with a fifth wheel that could lower itself from the back of the car. This raised the rear end and allowed the car to swivel with its front end absolutely stationary.