The Sideways-Parked Scooter Sensation

IM Motors, a car brand under SAIC, has wowed the public with a promotional video showcasing a sedan’s ability to park sideways. The clip caught attention with a woman gracefully exiting the IM Motors test car, holding a bouquet of flowers, and gently pushing the door shut before the car smoothly slid into a parking spot.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that the car doesn’t move into the spot autonomously, as there is still a driver behind the wheel. As soon as the door closes, the driver turns the steering wheel to the left.

The front wheels are seen turning forward, while the rear wheels turn backward, allowing the car to move sideways into the parking space.

While the information about the car in the video has not been confirmed, based on its size and shape, it appears to be their L6 model.

This maneuver is made possible by IM Motors’ advanced digital chassis technology.

Their digital chassis system can manage the car’s movement across three axes and six degrees of freedom. This not only makes parallel parking a breeze for the IM L6 but also significantly reduces the required parking space length by 11%, offering a great advantage to novice drivers.

A standout feature of this technology is the L6’s four-wheel steering system, which allows the rear wheels to turn at a large angle, enabling a “crab-like” sideways movement. This system not only improves maneuverability but also gives the car an extremely tight turning radius of just 4.99 meters, a huge plus when parking in tight spaces.

Viewers of the video have been full of praise for this breakthrough technology: “If it weren’t for the multiple angles, I would’ve thought this was CG!” and “Parallel parking just got a whole lot easier—this is indeed a huge step forward.”

This sideways movement (crab-like motion) marks a significant leap in automotive technology, opening up new levels of convenience and performance expected to be featured in IM’s upcoming models.