Hyundai Crater concept makes big impact in LA with rugged off-roader design
Remember the Hyundai Insteroid concept? Well, this is the opposite of that
Hyundai has unveiled a new concept at the LA AutoMobility show called the Hyundai Crater. It takes inspiration from the brand’s US-focused off-road XRT line up and takes things up several notches in the name of adventure.
The XRT trim in the US is Hyundai's equivalent of Audi Allroad, taking cars including the Ioniq 5, Tucson and Santa Fe and draping them in kit to aid driving off the beaten track. According to Hyundai, the Crater Concept is a “rolling embodiment of Hyundai’s commitment to designing even more versatility and emotion into future XRT models.”
There are no plans to turn the Crater Concept into a production car, despite it fitting in well alongside the Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco and Toyota 4Runner. Unlike those cars, the Crater Concept is electric.
Hyundai hasn’t shared many technical details for the Crater, though we suspect underneath the bodywork is the Ioniq 5’s 84kWh battery - which can of course be paired with a dual-motor, all-wheel drive system.
There’s no denying the Crater has a chunky, robust look to it - aided by angular body surfacing, short approach and departure angles and massive off-road tyres. They sit over 18-inch wheels which Hyundai claim were inspired by a ‘hexagonal asteroid impacting a sheer metal landscape’.
The Crater gets the typical assortment of off-road features with protective skid plates underneath, easily reachable tow hooks and ‘limb risers’ (metal cord to keep away branches) on the bonnet. Alongside these there are some more unconventional elements, namely the backward-opening rear doors that reveal no B-pillar and digital wing mirrors. The auxiliary lights on the roof depict the same pixelated Pac-Man Ghost character seen earlier this year on another space influenced concept from Hyundai, the Insteroid.
Inside the Crater you’ll find a rather crazy-looking cabin, but it comes with useful equipment for adventurers. There's a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, a removable Bluetooth speaker on the centre control and of course a full roll cage in case things go belly-up.
If you want to buy an EV with off-road capability here in the UK there’s always the new Suzuki e Vitara, which can be had with over £5,000 off thanks to the Auto Express Buy A Car service.
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