Category Archives: CONCEPT CARS

By the standards of auto-show concept cars, Hyundai doesn’t usually do subtle. But the new CRATER Concept—revealed at Automobility LA 2025—pushes the brand’s off-road design language into a bolder, more sculptural universe.

Hyundai Motor America pulled the sheet off the CRATER Concept, a compact off-road SUV developed at the Hyundai America Technical Center in Irvine, California. Positioned as a design exploration rather than a preview of a confirmed production model, the CRATER serves as a rolling thesis statement for where Hyundai could take its XRT sub-brand next. Its mission: merge rugged adventure capability with an almost architectural aesthetic inspired by steel, extreme landscapes, and Southern California outdoor culture.

A Rugged Sculpture: Exterior Design

Hyundai calls the vehicle’s look Art of Steel, and it’s an apt descriptor. The CRATER wears its sheetmetal like armor, with broad, sheer surfaces and knife-sharp creases that feel more like modern sculpture than typical SUV form language. The fenders, stretched and squared to exaggeration, give it a planted stance that borders on robotic.

The silhouette is unapologetically upright, the approach and departure angles steep enough to signal legitimate trail readiness. A full-width skid plate visually and functionally anchors the lower body, while limb risers stretching from the hood to the roof nod to classic overlanding rigs.

Hyundai’s designers let themselves have a little fun, too: one of the integrated recovery hooks doubles as a bottle opener. And the side-mirror cameras? They detach and convert into handheld flashlights for emergencies or capturing trail-side scenery.

Asteroid-Impact Wheels and Real Off-Road Hardware

Nothing on the CRATER is subtle—least of all its wheels. The 18-inch hexagonal-faceted alloys look like the aftermath of an asteroid strike on a metal plain, and their paired 33-inch off-road tires give the small SUV serious presence. That tire choice isn’t just for show; the CRATER Concept clearly aims to suggest genuine go-anywhere capability.

A roof platform accommodates lighting, gear, and accessories, and the auxiliary lights themselves adopt Hyundai’s evolving parametric pixel lighting signature. Underneath, protection is abundant and visible, reinforcing the message that this isn’t a soft roader in lifestyle drag.

Interior: High-Tech Expedition Lounge

Inside, the CRATER swings in the opposite direction from brute-force exterior toughness. The design theme—The Curve of Upholstery—wraps technical surfaces in soft yet durable materials. The cabin blends the warmth of adventure-wear textiles with the precision of industrial metalwork.

A full-width dynamic head-up display replaces the traditional cluster and, clever as ever, includes a real-time rearview camera feed. Hyundai’s decision to lean into a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) user interface suggests a future where the vehicle’s digital experience adapts to personal devices rather than relying solely on built-in screens.

The crash pad resembles a bent metal sheet, its perforations glowing with ambient light. Orange accents provide visual energy, while a structural roll cage outlines the cabin and doubles as both protection and grab-handle system.

The seats skip the usual bucket-seat tropes in favor of a wraparound design with rich padding, cylindrical cushions, and heavy bolstering meant for off-road movement. A four-point harness gives the entire seating experience an almost rally-car character.

Hidden Easter eggs—like the playful CRATER MAN iconography—appear throughout the cabin, one of Hyundai’s signatures in recent concept interiors.

Off-Road Controls With Real Mechanical Intent

Hyundai didn’t stop at aesthetics. The center console houses a gear-type multifunction off-road controller, giving drivers access to traction, braking, and differential management. Terrain modes include Snow, Sand, Mud, Auto, and XRT, further reinforcing that the CRATER Concept isn’t merely a design exercise.

Additional off-road tools—compass, altimeter, trailer-brake controls, downhill control—round out the ready-for-anything narrative.

Color and Material Story: California Outdoors, Distilled

The exterior’s Dune Gold Matte paint blends green and gold hues inspired by California’s dry coastal hills and desert canyons. It’s not flashy, but it’s full of character, especially when paired with the anodized orange accents.

Inside, the Black Ember palette prioritizes durability. Materials such as Alcantara, leather, and brushed metal create a tactile mix meant to age gracefully, like well-used gear. Topographic patterns etched into surfaces add another storytelling layer—literal map-like textures honoring the idea of a journey logged over time.

So What Is Hyundai Really Showing Us?

The CRATER Concept telegraphs Hyundai’s ambition to carve out real credibility in the adventure and overlanding space. It’s not trying to be a Bronco or a Wrangler competitor—not yet—but it suggests a future Hyundai product line that leans harder into capability, authenticity, and visual drama.

While Hyundai hasn’t hinted at production intent, the CRATER Concept feels like more than a wild styling exercise. Its proportions, hardware cues, and tech—minus the more fanciful elements—aren’t far from plausible. And with the XRT lineup growing across Hyundai’s SUVs, the CRATER’s design language could easily inform the next generation of rugged trims.

For now, it’s simply one of the most striking concept SUVs at Automobility LA 2025—part off-road tool, part sculpture, and entirely Hyundai.

Source: Hyundai

CONCEPT CARS

Peugeot Polygon Concept: The Future of the 208 Goes Feline and Futuristic

November 4, 2025 Francis Mitterrand

Peugeot has never been shy about showing its claws when it comes to design. But with the new Polygon concept, the French automaker isn’t just baring its teeth—it’s ready to pounce. This dramatically styled supermini previews the next-generation Peugeot 208, a car that has quietly become one of Europe’s best-selling small hatchbacks. Now, it’s ready to evolve into something far more daring.

Peugeot describes the Polygon as having a “feline futuristic design”, and from the single image released ahead of its official debut next Wednesday, that phrase doesn’t feel like marketing fluff. The silhouette is monolithic, the surfaces tightly sculpted by airflow, and the proportions almost alien compared with today’s 208. This is a design language that signals a new era for Peugeot—sleeker, sharper, and unapologetically forward-looking.

Of course, the production 208 that follows will be more restrained, but Peugeot insiders hint that the Polygon’s aero-defined surfacing and bold stance will heavily influence what we see on the road. Think of this as Peugeot’s design manifesto—one that will ripple across its entire lineup in the years ahead.

Steering the Future

Inside, the Polygon continues the revolution. The show car debuts what Peugeot calls the next step in the “saga of i-Cockpit,” the brand’s distinctive interior concept that positions a small steering wheel below the driver’s instruments. The star of the show? A near-production version of the Hypersquare steering wheel, a rectangular, steer-by-wire setup first seen on the 2023 Inception Concept.

This marks a major milestone—not just for Peugeot, but for the entire Stellantis group—as it’s the first time the conglomerate will use steer-by-wire technology. According to CEO Alain Favey, the system is “about agility” and aims to give future Peugeots a driving experience unlike anything else in the segment.

The Polygon’s futuristic cabin also features a 21-inch floating display, a curved infotainment unit likely borrowed from the new 3008. If so, expect the next 208 to carry over much of this interior design almost unchanged—a blend of digital minimalism and French flair.

Electric, but Not Dogmatic

Underneath, the Polygon sits on Stellantis’s new STLA Small platform, designed to accommodate both hybrid and electric powertrains. But make no mistake—the future here is electric. Sister brand Vauxhall has already confirmed that its next-generation Corsa—the Polygon’s mechanical twin—will go EV-only. That means the next 208 is almost certain to follow suit.

Still, Peugeot isn’t slamming the door on internal combustion just yet. Favey insists the brand remains “committed to BEVs” while also “committed to a multi-energy offer.” Translation: as long as the EV market remains unpredictable, Peugeot will keep the current CMP-based 208 in production alongside the all-electric newcomer.

What Comes Next

When the production 208 lands at the end of next year, it’s expected to be the first car to ride on the STLA Small platform, followed closely by the new Corsa. Both will roll out of Stellantis’s Zaragoza plant in Spain.

If the Polygon is any indication, Peugeot’s small-car future won’t just be about electrification—it’ll be about character. The brand that once defined French charm in the supermini segment is reinventing itself for the digital age, merging feline grace with cutting-edge tech.

Whether it’s enough to claw its way past the likes of the Renault 5 E-Tech and the Mini Cooper Electric remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: the next 208 won’t just evolve. It will leap.

Source: Peugeot

CONCEPT CARS

2025 Mitsubishi Delica D:5 Prototype: The Cult Minivan That Just Won’t Quit

November 1, 2025 Francis Mitterrand

Mitsubishi may have packed its bags and quietly slipped out of the UK back in 2021, but that doesn’t mean the brand’s story ended there. Over in Japan, the company has been busy nurturing one of its most enduring oddballs — the Delica D:5, the go-anywhere, do-anything minivan that’s equal parts family shuttle and mountain goat.

At this year’s Tokyo Mobility Show, Mitsubishi rolled out what it calls a prototype of the latest D:5. Don’t expect an all-new generation just yet — this is more of a deep facelift than a clean-sheet design. But considering the current D:5 has been around since 2007 (with a nip and tuck in 2019), the fact it’s still evolving at all is something of a minor miracle.

And yet, somehow, it works. The new D:5 has been “enhanced” with improved steering stability and road handling, while Mitsubishi’s design team has leaned into the van’s rugged cult appeal. The updated styling swaps out the old chrome-heavy mug for a bolder, upright front grille that looks ready to headbutt a trailhead. The rear end gets a cleaner treatment with simplified lighting and a stretched “Delica” badge across the tailgate. Chunkier wheel arches and fresh 18-inch alloys round out the makeover, giving it that slightly unhinged “dad just bought a roof tent” energy we can’t help but admire.

Mitsubishi says it aimed for an “impression of a higher center of gravity” — which sounds like PR-speak for we lifted it because it looks cool. And honestly, it does. Few vehicles wear their off-road cosplay as earnestly as the Delica.

Inside, things have been brought up to date with a new digital instrument cluster, richer leather/suede upholstery, and khaki contrast stitching that’s both tasteful and outdoorsy. The water-resistant seats return (because, of course, this van assumes you’re always damp from some heroic adventure), and there are even USB-C ports sprinkled around for modern gadgetry.

Details on powertrains remain under wraps, but given Mitsubishi’s recent focus on electrification, a hybrid or plug-in hybrid variant would surprise no one.

So while British buyers might never again see a new Mitsubishi badge on local dealer lots, Japan’s latest Delica D:5 proves that the brand’s spirit of functional eccentricity is alive and well — and probably halfway up a volcano somewhere.

Source: Mitsubishi

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