Currently reading: LA show: Hyundai's 4x4 cabrio concept
LA show: Hyundai's 4x4 cabrio concept

Coupe 4x4 concepts are getting common, but Hyundai has just gone further with the odd-looking HCD10 Hellion by giving it a removable soft-top roof as well.

Shown at the LA motor show for the first time, the Hellion is rally car meets off-roader according to its design team. So to counter the butch, exo-skeleton look on the outside, inside you have a 2+2 with bucket seats, a silicone floor to save weight and a central spine running through the length of the cabin. A further ‘go anywhere’ features include removable rucksacks stored the backs of the two front seats. Oh yes, and the theoretical customer can also personalise the design of that fabric roof.

The Hellion has permanent four-wheel drive and is powered by a new 236bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel, with a six-speed auto – a combination which will eventual find its way onto a production car – likely to include the Santa Fe SUV.

As for the Hellion itself, insiders claim that some details will turn up on future models but there are no plans to put it into production.

Chas Hallett

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