The Hyundai Elevate walking vehicle concept seemed pretty out-there when the brand introduced it at CES in 2019. The vehicle appeared to be closer kin to the All Terrain Armored Transport from Star Wars than to a conventional automobile. But the concept becomes slightly less outlandish with the announcement that Hyundai has established a new unit to develop what it calls Ultimate Mobility Vehicles, and that the Elevate will be the first among them.
Hyundai’s New Horizons Studio “furthers Hyundai Motor Group’s vision to shape the future of mobility,” the company said in an announcement. “Using a combination of robotics and wheeled locomotion technology, Elevate and other vehicles by New Horizons Studio are expected to redefine vehicular mobility.”
The battery-powered Elevate concept features moveable legs with wheels on the bottom, theoretically making it able to traverse extreme terrain. Hyundai posits that the Elevate or a similar vehicle could be sent into a natural disaster zone, for instance. Or that a car with similar capability could enhance mobility for the disabled.
Sounds cool, but here’s hoping the next Star Wars-inspired vehicle on their list is a real-life Landspeeder.