Hyundai needs to get severe about off-roading. Sure, the automaker already gives its XRT line, which provides a couple of rugged touches to fashions just like the Ioniq 5, Palisade, and Santa Fe. However this new idea reveals what severe off-roading throughout the Hyundai lineup might seem like.
Meet the Crater, an all-new SUV idea that previews a possible future off-roader for Hyundai. It appears to be like badass, driving on 33-inch off-road tires with skid plates, tow hooks, and half a dozen auxiliary lights. It even wears the identical digital pixel camouflage seen on the Ioniq 5 XRT, together with a handful of enjoyable hidden particulars.
Look carefully on the anodized restoration hooks on the entrance bumper and also you’ll spot a tiny determine Hyundai designers name “Crater Man.” This character serves because the idea’s emblem and seems all through the automobile—on exterior accents, seat buckles, and even the dashboard.
The inside is wild. As an alternative of a conventional dashboard, there’s a cylindrical construction “suspended” by two straps. 4 small, detachable sq. screens show widgets like Spotify and may be popped out of the automobile completely. They reside amongst distinctive parts that illuminate the cabin in a heat rust-orange hue.
The seats and middle console showcase a brand new inside design approach Hyundai calls “Curve of Upholstery.” Meaning each touchpoint is wrapped in tender, curved supplies—no arduous plastics in sight.
Hyundai isn’t sharing many mechanical particulars, saying solely that the Crater is electrical. It most likely makes use of the Ioniq 5’s 84.0-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and dual-motor setup, which produces 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque—however that’s only a guess.
What we do know is that the Crater seems to have actual off-road chops past its lifted trip peak and aggressive tires. Inside, there are controls for low vary and locking differentials. We’re not completely positive how they’d perform on an EV, however the intent is evident.
Sadly, Hyundai has no plans to deliver the Crater to market as a Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler rival—a minimum of not in its present type. What it does do is preview the place the model’s XRT fashions may very well be headed. Right now, automobiles just like the Ioniq 5 and Palisade XRT are extra soft-roader than rock crawler.
If Hyundai attracts inspiration from the Crater for its upcoming fashions, who is aware of what the long run might deliver.
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Supply: Hyundai
