Is Hyundai bringing the Crater Concept to life? A covered electric SUV was spotted in the wild, which could give us our first clue.
The Hyundai Crater EV SUV concept is not just for show
The Crater Concept stole the show after Hyundai took the sheets off the rugged, futuristic-looking electric SUV at the LA Auto Show in November.
Although it’s just a concept, Hyundai said the off-road SUV showcased “the next evolution” of its Extreme Rugged Terrain (XRT) vehicles.
Hyundai vehicles with the XRT badge are currently a more capable trim option with added off-road elements, but that won’t be the case for much longer.
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On the sidelines of the LA Auto Show, Hyundai North America’s senior vp of planning and mobility strategy, Olabisi Boyle, told The Drive that in the future, XRT is “not gonna be a trim. It’s going to be capability.” In other words, XRT will become its own sub-brand under Hyundai.
Boyle said that Hyundai is “going to be truly capable vehicles, adding, “I won’t say how we’re going to make that happen.”
The Hyundai Crater Concept, a compact off-road electric SUV (Source: Hyundai)
A camouflaged electric SUV was recently spotted in South Korea, which may be our first look at Hyundai’s upcoming XRT lineup.
The new images from Instagram user seoul._.station appear to show an early-stage Hyundai Crater EV prototype.
While it’s still covered, the SUV appears to pull several new elements from the Crater Concept, such as the tall, upright stance and pixel lights.
As expected, the interior is less dramatic than the concept, with a layout closer to that of Hyundai’s current vehicles. Although not shown in the images, the infotainment system is expected to be equipped with Hyundai’s latest Pleos OS. The system is easier to use, more like using a smartphone.
According to local reports, Hyundai may skip a midlife Kona refresh and instead launch a full facelift. If that’s the case, this could be our first look at the third-gen Kona EV.
Last month, a covered Hyundai electric SUV that looked similar to the vehicle above was caught with an “SX3” tag, indicating it’s a third-generation model. The update will reportedly include more than a simple refresh with amped hardware, software, and a new design.
Update 2/12/2026: A new video from HealerTV offers a look at the mysterious vehicle’s wheelbase for the first time.
The covered vehicle has a longer wheelbase than the current Kona. It’s about the same as the new Kia Seltos at around 2,690 mm (105.9″).
As the reporter speculates, the model may also be an updated Creta, or possibly a combination of the two. The Creta is currently mostly in emerging markets, whereas the Kona is sold in the US, Europe, and other international markets.
Merging the two while continuing to sell them as the Creta and Kona in their respective markets would help Hyundai reduce costs.
Hyundai has recently added several XRT models, including the IONIQ 5, Palisade, Santa Cruz, Tucson, and Santa Fe. Is the Kona EV next in line, or is Hyundai releasing an entirely new XRT vehicle based on the Crater? We will find out soon.
— Source: Electrek (https://electrek.co/2026/02/12/new-hyundai-ev-spotted-looks-like-crater-suv-concept/)
