Geely EX5 Gets Independent Four-Wheel 90-Degree Steering in China

The Proton e.MAS 7’s twin, the Geely EX5, has gained an independent four-wheel 90-degree steering function in China.

Geely has introduced an independent four-wheel 90-degree steering technology to the Geely EX5 EV prototype in China. This new feature allows the EX5 prototype to turn around on the spot, park in narrow spaces, and perform omnidirectional driving.

Self-developed by Geely Automobile themselves, this new four-wheel steering system uses electric motors that are integrated directly into the wheels, meaning that the EX5 prototype used to test them out features four individual driving units allocated to each wheel.

With each wheel now featuring its own independent driving unit, the EX5 prototype can now do a series of manoeuvres that could not be done before, especially around tight spaces. Besides turning around on the spot and parking in narrow spaces, the system also supports the crab driving mode, just like what we’ve seen on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 prototype equipped with Hyundai Mobis’ own four-wheel steering system.

According to CarNewsChina, this independent four-wheel steering system is part of Geely’s new technology innovations, where equipped cars can be controlled with a special glove. In the future, Geely ambitiously plans to replace other smart devices with this special glove, although no further details were shared about it for now.

That said, Geely engineers have done some compromising to install this four-wheel steering system into the EX5, as we can see that the car’s rear axle and wheel arches were seemingly increased to fit the 90-degree turning radius for the wheels. While no interior shots were revealed, we suspect that the system may take up some cabin space.

And given it is still a prototype, it might take a while before we get to see this four-wheel steering system debuting in any future Geely EVs, as the automaker also didn’t disclose when they are planning to apply this technology to mass production.

As of now, independent four-wheel steering systems are not commonplace in many production EVs, so Geely could be among the first automakers to introduce them, should they get the tech into mass production.

As a refresher, the Geely EX5, which is the donor model for the Proton e.MAS 7, only comes with a single, front-mounted (FWD) electric motor setup delivering 215 hp (160 kW) and 320 Nm. Known as the Geely Galaxy E5 in the Chinese domestic market, this EV SUV underpins Geely’s proprietary GEA modular architecture.