The Hyundai Crater XRT Is A Mysterious Alien Off-Road SUV
Hyundai’s been California dreaming.
The automaker’s design studio in Irvine, Calif., has created a wild concept SUV for the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Crater XRT features edgy styling that’s as much off-planet as off-road. Its pixellated lightning can be used to create Space Invader-type characters and other shapes.
Here are some of its standout features and one big mystery that remains:
HIGH AND WIDE
The Crater XRT’s wide stance is highlighted by its blocky fenders. The ride height is towering and the ends blunt for maximum clearance over rough terrain. It uses cameras instead of side view mirrors and they can be removed to shoot video and be used as flashlights. Limb risers attached to the fenders and roof rack are designed to move low-hanging tree branches out of the way while the left front recovery hook can be used as a bottle opener.
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ROLL IN
The Crater XRT has clamshell doors to show off its interior, which is equipped with an exposed roll cage and four-point seatbelts to emphasize its intent as an extreme off-road machine.
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CRASH PAD
The Crater XRT’s seats are well-stuffed and have supportive side bolsters, while the center console and doors are padded to protect passengers on the roughest roads. The dashboard features an illuminated “Crash Pad” thats suspended by straps. The infotainment is designed with a Bring Your Own Device system in mind and there is a full-width heads up display projected across the windshield.
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SQUARES AND CIRCLES
The Crater XRT’s steering wheel has flat sides, scroll wheel thumb controllers, drive mode buttons and a pixel informational display built into the hub.
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WHAT LIES BENEATH?
The Crater XRT looks futuristic, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s electric. Hyundai hasn’t said what type of powertrain it’s meant to have if it ever makes it into production sometime in the the future from which it appears to have arrived.