Hyundai has filed a patent for a foldable steering wheel, which will most likely debut in a Genesis vehicle. CarBuzz discovered the patent at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
According to the patent application, the steering wheel rim is designed to be folded or unfolded linearly, creating more space for a person to enter the vehicle. The patent also states that an entry mode where a standard steering wheel moves up and the driver's seat moves backward is not good enough, as the rim portion of the steering wheel still takes up too much space.
By folding the rim downward, Hyundai wants to create more room for ingress and egress, but it also holds benefits for a person sitting back and letting the car do all the work in a Level 3+ autonomous vehicle.
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