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Hyundai appears to be probing a full-on 4WD, and it's getting closer to becoming a reality.
The brand revealed a 'Crater Concept' at the Los Angeles motor show last month as an off-road SUV.
NY Mammoth have built on this concept by creating a road-ready render of the Hyundai Crater.
It was initially thought to be similar in dimensions to the Tucson mid-size SUV, but this latest render shows a car closer to the Hyundai Kona compact SUV.
Hyundai’s first images highlighted a boxy design, with flared wheel arches and a noticeably high ground clearance.
There were also cameras in place of side mirrors, with a strip light design at the front and rear of the car, as well as aftermarket-style roof-mounted lights and platform.
This latest render shows some of those elements, but it has given the car a more realistic production look.
On the outside, the strip light design remains, but the spotlights have been removed, as have the side cameras, which have been replaced by conventional side mirrors.
There is a distinctive wheel design, with black rims clad in all-terrain tyres leaning into Hyundai's off-road focused concept.
Hyundai currently does not sell a ready-made off-roader, with its SUVs featuring an all-wheel drive system found on higher-grade Santa Fe and Tucson variants, among other models.
If it is the compact SUV 4WD it looks like, it will sit in the same category as the off-road going Subaru Crosstrek, Suzuki Vitara, and Renault Duster.
There is no clear giveaway as to whether the Crater will be an all-electric or engine-powered car thus far.
A test mule wearing a Kona body spotted in Korea and shared by the Korean Car Blog though, shows dual rear mufflers, suggesting combustion or at least hybrid power is still on the cards.
Hyundai is yet to confirm whether the Crater will make it production, but it could be getting closer to becoming a reality with the ‘Crater’ name already appearing in trademark filings.
The compact off-roader would seem a natural fit for the Australian market, although the US market was the first to receive the brand's XRT off-road option packs for the Santa Fe.
