It’s cliché to talk about the surprising speed at which Hyundai products have improved over the last two decades. What’s more impressive, to me, is just how good these vehicles look. The Hyundai design team, as well as the crew at Genesis, is turning out some of the sharpest vehicles on the road.
Hyundai worked hard to refine the styling of its standard road cars. The automaker instilled proper familial design language across the lineup—from signature lighting elements to smart fender work. From there, however, the evolution of Hyundai’s EVs, N products, and the XRT vehicles enables greater creativity and growth.
Hyundai set the stage for future growth at the 2025 LA Auto Show. The Ioniq 6 N leans into both the entertaining side of what’s possible with performance EVs. Meanwhile, the Crater offers a vision of future off-road capability within Hyundai’s XRT range.
Simon Loasby, Head of Hyundai Style, sat down with us at the LA Auto Show to chat about the Crater concept as well as the current and future design direction of the brand.
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Source: Hyundai
“XRT is not about a styling package,” Loasby says. “It’s about real capability: ride height, all-terrain tires, four-wheel drive, approach and departure angles, steel or aluminum skid plates. All of that matters. The feedback we’re getting now will shape what we do next.”
But the Crater will do more than simply serve as an off-road vehicle checklist. “The dual-layer architecture is something you’ll see in future Hyundai production cars. Safety and interaction come first—eyes on the road, hands on the wheel. Over the next 12 to 14 months, you’ll see our next-generation interior design take this even further.”
‘The dual-layer architecture is something you’ll see in future Hyundai production cars.’
I pressed Simon to point out a specific part of the vehicle he loves most; he enjoys all of it. But part of what he says about the design of the Crater speaks to just how far Hyundai design work has come, and why it’s proven a wise investment to hire folks previously involved with companies such as Bentley, BMW, and Rolls-Royce.
“It makes people smile,” says Loasby. “That’s what we want—an optimistic, positive message. We want kids to point at the car and say, ‘You got the Crater!’” If a kid on the street points at your car and proclaims it as ‘cool,’ then you know you’re driving the right car.
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Source: Hyundai
Hyundai’s motorsport division also plays a part in driving certain stylistic elements on the vehicles. “Those guys are—in the nicest possible way—complete freaks. They’re absolutely obsessed with learning what works. A lot of that knowledge goes directly into N-division products: aerodynamics, suspension tuning, all of it.”
‘What we take from motorsport—aero, wide fenders for better handling—also shapes the way the car looks. It gives the stance. We want people to stop, look, and say, ‘Oh wow—that’s an N.’
From swan-neck rear wings on performance vehicles to creating a Crater Face character for off-roading, Hyundai is clearly having fun right now. When you talk to anyone on the design team, not just Simon, you get big smiles and genuine enthusiasm for what’s taking place.
Hyundai has been building mechanically good cars for quite some time. Now it’s time for the styling to continue evolving and standing out. The Ioniq 6 N is currently fun, but the Crater shows the potential for an even more well-rounded lineup to come.
