VIDEO: Hyundai Shows Off Its HTRAC All-Wheel Drive System With LED Light Show

Manufacturer videos, especially the ones that set out to prove a technical point, often times get bogged down in the explanation that the message is lost in a haze of metrics and/or jargon. Hyundai has had a streak of avoiding that pit, and when it came time to showcase its HTRAC all-wheel drive system, they just used lights. 

They’re LEDs, to be sure, and they’re fitted in an array of 10 spokes, each a pair, and on every wheel. Simply put, when the car goes through its twisty little course, the lights will brighten and dim depending how much power is applied to each wheel.

Not a bad idea, in terms of demonstrating how well its working. The ‘car’ these lights are fitted to is a Hyundai Genesis, and when the surface changes (from dry to wet, from smooth to bumpy) the power is redistributed to make sure traction is kept in check.

When taking corners, we can see the HTRAC system apply more power to the inside wheel too, and thereby making possible a tighter cornering line; a-la torque vectoring.

One thing, though. It would be nice if the Hyundai Genesis with its 3.8-litre V6 did sound as good as the car in the video did. It probably can, just not without some tweaking. Out of the showroom, it’ll probably sound as subdued as a large premium sedan should.