Although the year has just begun, 2023 saw the unveiling of side-driving cars and changing colors, here are five of the most unusual cars of 2023 so far.
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| Five unusual cars revealed in 2023 |
1. Ioniq 5 from Hyundai
Unveiled at this year's CES conference in Las Vegas by automaker Hyundai, the unique feature of this Ioniq 5 is the wheels that rotate 90 degrees, allowing the car to move sideways.
According to the brand, the technology will allow the car to change direction faster and facilitate parallel parking.
"It allows the wheel to rotate 90 degrees when needed, for example, a corner, and enables the crab - sideways - to drive and not turn, meaning to turn without moving forward or backward," said the brand.
2. The BMW I Vision Dee from BMW
The German car brand BMW also unveiled its I Vision Dee concept car at CES. The car features color-changing technology that allows the exterior to be covered in custom, digitally controlled patterns of up to 32 colors.
To achieve this feat, the entire exterior of the car was covered in the e-ink film and divided into 240 segments, each of which can be individually controlled.
3. Rezvani Vengeance by Rezvani Motors
Automotive brand Rezvani Motors has revealed a car it believes is "the world's most aggressive SUV".
Named Rezvani Vengeance, the vehicle is equipped with several safety features more commonly found in video games or in military vehicles. Features include electrified door handles, side mirrors that emit pepper spray, bulletproof glass, and electromagnetic pulse protection.
4. 327 from Nissan and New Balance
Created as a collaboration between auto brand Nissan and sportswear company New Balance, the Kicks 327 is designed to resemble a trainer.
Designed as a promotional vehicle for the Kicks SUV, the vehicle was created as a portable version of New Balance's 327 trainers as the vehicle's name is slang for trainers.
"The name of the car, Kicks, means sneaker in colloquial English," Nissan explained. “This became the origin of the idea and led to the association with sneakers.”
5. Afeela EV from Sony and Honda
While the Afeela EV isn't as attention-grabbing as some of the others unveiled in 2023, it does represent Sony's first ever.
Designed as a 'moving entertainment space', it prioritizes entertainment and interaction with numerous screens for movies, games, and 'infotainment' both inside and outside the vehicle.
"We want to think outside the box and revisit the basic philosophy of car design," said Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno.
“In addition to movies, games, and music, we envision a new in-cabin experience using our expertise in UX and UI technologies.”