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Hyundai Unveils Crater Concept at LA Auto Show to Chart XRT Off-Road Future

Hyundai frames the LA debut as a design study guiding future XRT off-road models.

Overview

  • Revealed in Los Angeles, the compact Crater was developed at Hyundai’s Irvine, California technical center as a direction-setting exercise for the brand’s rugged XRT lineup.
  • The concept features 18-inch hexagonal wheels on 33-inch all-terrain tires, wide skid plates, a roof platform, hood-to-roof limb risers, removable mirror cameras that double as flashlights, recovery hooks, and an exposed roll cage.
  • The interior swaps a traditional center screen for a pillar-to-pillar head-up display, adds detachable mini displays, camp-mode animations and audio, and playful ‘Crater Man’ design flourishes in a BYOD-oriented cabin.
  • Off-road interfaces include a terrain selector with Snow, Sand, Mud, Auto and XRT modes, provisions for front and rear locking differentials, downhill brake control, trailer brake control, a compass and an altimeter.
  • Hyundai declined to confirm production or powertrain details, though design cues and some reporting point to an electric orientation, and executives say the company intends to increase real off-road capability with elements likely to migrate to upcoming models.