It’s easy to feel a bit sad about the state of today’s auto shows. I totally understand that private unveilings result in less competition than a media frenzy, but there’s still something special about a brand new car or concept making its way onto an auto show floor immediately after its debut. A car you can actually go and look at, rather than just ponder through your computer screen. Perhaps that’s part of the reason why the Hyundai Crater concept made such a big splash at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
At the time, little was known about what underpinned the concept, but it didn’t matter. This jacked-up, wide-track machine with four-point harnesses and a roll cage was pure shock and awe. Something totally unexpected, something that got the people going. In advance of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, I got to take a closer look at the Hyundai Crater, and what I found was amazing.
It’s not uncommon for wild concept cars to be pusher models, essentially non-functional platforms with styling on top. The next rung up on the ladder is a show car that’s largely non-functional with just enough onboard motivation for slow movement. In contrast, the Crater is a little bit different. Sure, its motorized doors and trick lighting are controlled through an app, all the little interior screens are effectively display sequences on small individual tablets, and a lot of the visual bits really add up to demonstration pieces, but look a bit closer and you’ll see interesting stuff.
It’s not particularly surprising that the 33-inch tires on the Crater are roadworthy all-terrain meats with DOT codes and everything. Bespoke tires are unbelievably expensive, after all. However, it is unusual to see a full-on multi-link rear suspension on a concept car like this. Even most low-speed concept cars that can creep about at a walking pace are far simpler than this underneath to keep costs down. It turns out, Hyundai’s way of doing things involved basing the Crater on the same sort of modular E-GMP platform found underneath the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9.
This theoretically means that Hyundai has at least one set of long-travel remote-reservoir threaded-body dampers for its popular electric car platform and the necessary supporting equipment to correct the suspension geometry for the added ride height, and that’s a rather exciting proposition. It’s an indicator that Hyundai is taking this rather seriously indeed, and while the Crater hasn’t been confirmed for production, it isn’t pie-in-the-sky stuff.
Okay, so the cabin may be a bit more fanciful than the underpinnings, but this is exactly the sort of dream I’d want to live in. Just take a look at those seats with pass-through structure adorned with rifled bezels. They just look so cool, I’d want them in my apartment. Imagine filing emails or hopping on a Zoom call sat down in that.
In some ways, the dashboard is even more interesting than the seats. Sure, the motorsports-inspired steering wheel is pure concept car stuff, but the indicator and gear selector stalks look familiar, not to mention the bank of physical buttons around the translucent hazard warning light switch. Shortcuts for things like media selection are pretty much production car stuff, giving the Crater a great sense of grounding in reality. Oh, and if you’ve noticed a stylized character on the belt buckles, that’s Crater Man. He’s everywhere from the thumbscrews for the exterior camera mirror units to the shape of the door jambs, and not the only fun little detail on this concept car.
The Crater’s left front recovery point features an integrated bottle opener, and there’s a turntable of sorts in the parcel shelf. There are so many easter eggs that designer May Rihn mentioned co-creating a board game for them. Sadly, the board game wasn’t in attendance, but how cool is that?
There’s also just a huge sense of impact to the look of the Crater. Enormous haunches, dramatic hood surfacing, and a general scale you don’t fully appreciate until you see it up close. Those are 33-inch all-terrain tires, about the same size as the ones on the Ford Ranger Raptor. The Crater is so wide, Hyundai’s built a special trailer just for it to be towed around in. That’s cool.
What Hyundai’s created with the Crater is a dream that feels just real enough to be relatable. To look like something you might actually be able to drive, partly because it’s on a platform that actually works. Could Hyundai build something like this in the future? Well, nothing’s been confirmed, but that’s the fun part about the future. It genuinely could go anywhere.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
I love the cyberpunk dash design, and I suspect at least 80% of my affection is based on the fact that it isn’t a tablet stapled to a slab of plastic. Admittedly, it looks like a stylized soundbar ratchet strapped to a slab of alcantara(?), but I’ll take that over the tablet thing any day.
Which of course means none of that is going to see the light of day in any production vehicle ever.
So we’re sure it’s not just a rally fighter underneath right?
This design team just made a “ode to Cyber Punk”. I am not really interested in the car at all and wouldn’t buy it. But, I do love that interior minus the soundbar thing that’s the dash board? The side view shot of that seat f’s, and I am here for it. Someone AI Keanu Reeves into that thing ASAP
Oh boy, another faux-offroader that will occupy space at a Costco near you. I’m sure all the dads in the elementary school dropoff line will be beaming with pride at this silly thing.
Can we get over this sort of thing already? The tiny fraction of people who actually go offroad aren’t going to buy this. The even smaller subset of those who have a NEED to go offroad are sure as heck are not going to buy this.
This is just yet another of many in the spirit of a butched out Crosstrek. Will be bought by some dork that works in IT at some nameless company and sits in the suburban office parking lot. Owner wears a quarter zip or fleece vest and shops online for stuff with “tactical” in the description. Maybe they talk about their EDC (every day carry, aka, all the “survivalist” crap they carry around in their pockets but never use).
Haven’t we had enough already? Can everyone please stop pretending to be a tough guy?
Don’t worry. It will be a bland next gen Kona. Without any of the things you hate, as no one would ever think about doing this to a Kona.
By the way: In Norwegian, Kona means wife.
Said it before, will say it again:
This the design concept for the upcoming next generation Kona. Of course, the Kona will come without all these fancy offroading features.
But the Body and many of the used elements will be there….packed in a boring Kona SUV, that won’t be such a special car.
If this ever goes into production, it will be weak sauce.
Example: Santa Cruz concept vs. Santa Cruz production.
My exact thought. I was excited about the Santa Cruz, then 6 long years later it was just a meh reality and any lingering goodwill was taken by the ford maverick which was better in almost every way.
Yes, that’s why I bought a Maverick!
Some pretty interesting design choices, particularly in the cabin. Held together with belts and buckles.
Yeah but is it just a 2004 Land Rover Defender 90 underneath…
That’s a pretty cool Jeep Compass Concept.
Are those fender flares made of black styrofoam?
An offroader whose name is the verb used to describe how you came to be in the full body cast.
Perfect.
If it can actually be taken offroad, I’d trade my Ioniq 5 for it..
Very low budget ’80s custom van interior. Pretty interesting if nothing else.
Are those radiant heaters in the dashboard?
The brake and gas pedals seem awfully close together.
VehiCROSS junior, anyone?
The interior is ‘interesting’ in an Amazon boy racer way. I’d much rather have this than that brown bag full of cold puke AMG GLC 53.
Interesting, and I kinda miss small off-road vehicles like CJs and Trackers. Even the base 2-door Wrangler feels a bit big.
I would swap my jku for a 4 dr Jimny if they were sold here.
Fully autonomous boulder crawling? I’m glad they didn’t go that far.
I hope Hyundai know that “crater” can be a verb and this avoids doing it.
Manufactures can trot out all the “rugged” concepts they want, but the market is pretty clear on what it wants:
There is no market for gimmicky off-roader that are amazing at a closed course, but don’t work in the real world for people that actually want to use them. i.e. Hummer EV.
This is that.