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The Hyundai Crater concept looks like an ideal apocalypse car

Looking both off-road ready and zombie-proof
photo of the hyundai crater concept unveiled at the la automobility show 2025
PHOTO: Hyundai
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Say hello to the Hyundai Crater. Quite a thing, right? Unveiled at the LA AutoMobility Show, it apparently draws on the Korean carmaker’s off-road XRT range, which embraces all things adventure.

See the Ioniq 5 XRT, Santa Cruz XRT, and Palisade XRT. All of them get plenty of off-road chops, but the Crater concept is easily the most hardy of the lot.

photo of the hyundai crater concept unveiled at the la automobility show 2025

It wears a green-gold matte exterior paint job inspired by California’s coastal terrain, and there’s no mistaking its purpose from the rugged looks. We’re told it gets steep approach and departure angles to “support serious off-road exploration,” aided by those 18-inch alloys, which were inspired by “a hexagonal asteroid impacting a sheer metal landscape.” Right. They’re clad in 33-inch off-road tires for improved traction and ground clearance.

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There are a few Easter eggs too, including front-mounted roof spotlights which get a pixelated Pac-Man theme, and what Hyundai is calling ‘limb risers,’ which are really just cables stretching from the hood to the roof for protection from low-hanging branches.

photo of the hyundai crater concept unveiled at the la automobility show 2025

Other notable features include removable side mirror cameras, which double as flashlights, and tow hooks, which also double as bottle openers, for when you decide you’ve had quite enough of trying to stay alive during the apocalypse and just want a nice cold beer. Oh, and there are rear-hinged back doors.

And if you thought the exterior was special, wait until you set eyes on the cabin, with its desert sunset and campfire-themed ambient lighting. It features a squircle steering wheel complete with a central display, as well as quick-access terrain mode buttons for switching between Snow, Sand, Mud, Auto, and XRT modes. It’ll never catch on…

photo of the hyundai crater concept unveiled at the la automobility show 2025

There’s also a full-width head-up display complete with rear-view camera feed, below which sit displays for your hill-descent control, trailer brake control, compass, and altimeter. The seats get ‘three-dimensional padding,’ while there’s also a Bluetooth speaker on the center console. Oh, and a first aid kit and fire extinguisher, because safety first, kids.

Sadly, we’re not told any powertrain specifics, but we’d imagine it’s all-electric. Heck, why don’t we all assume that it’s got the 641hp twin-motor setup from the Ioniq 5 N?

photo of the hyundai crater concept unveiled at the la automobility show 2025

NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.

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PHOTO: Hyundai
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