Hyundai's 2025 Crater concept might be more than just a concept. The latest images from theCarBuzzspy photographers have snapped a prototype vehicle that looks very close to the rugged off-roader's design. This rough and tumble-looking crossover comes with a more familiar name, though: it's the next-generation Hyundai Kona. New Kona Looks Ready To Make An... Impact CarBuzz/Valnet A prototype for the Crater-shaped Kona has been spotted before, in Korea, but this might be the first time catching it on US roads. It tones down the concept but keeps some of the essentials. It's too bad that one of those essentials isn't the coach-opening doors of the concept, but with one of Hyundai's lowest-priced vehicles, that isn't really a surprise.The prototype also loses the massively pushed-out fenders of the concept model, but again, that's not a surprise. Forget about cost – the sacrifice in interior space versus the footprint needed would have been a tough sell in a vehicle this size.CarBuzz/Valnet So what does it have? The angles. Hyundai's current Kona blends sharp edges and smooth curves much like the latest Tucson and Elantra. It also has Hyundai's thin-line pixel lighting signatures at the front and rear.This one is much sharper, at least from what we can see. The roofline is crisp, with a slash cut to add some depth to the design. The pillars and the bottom of the greenhouse share the sharp lines, and from what we can see of the nose and hood, those portions do as well.The Kona looks very similar to the new Tucson that the CarBuzz spies have captured getting ready for market. That makes sense, as the two have similar styling elements in their current forms. These redesigns appear to bring them even closer together, though Hyundai can still be hiding a lot of differences under that much camouflage protection.Hyundai's most fascinating visible design detail is the wheels. The star inside a wider ring makes the connection between inner and outer wheels appear to be razor-thin. It's a wheel that looks delicate, but look more closely and the true structure is hidden because an affordably-priced compact crossover can't survive if it's known for shattering wheels on the first curb it sees. New Model Could Arrive Late Next Year Kona-1Hyundai last redesigned the Kona for model year 2024. With Hyundai's typical new product cadence, we wouldn't normally expect a new model until model year 2029 or 2030. But that means seeing it revealed for the first time sometime in late 2027 and starting production in 2028.We haven't spotted a facelifted Kona yet, but we have heard rumors from our spies that Hyundai might be skipping the normal refresh in favor of a new model. If the refresh is coming, it will likely show up later this year and be very minor. Otherwise, this is the next iteration of the Kona.Hyundai is just at the beginning of a new product offensive that will see 36 new or updated models on the road in North America by 2030. Between a possible facelift and this new generation, the Kona could end up being two of those.Whatever the brand has planned, a return of the Kona N is possible, along with a Kona XRT. Hyundai leadership has made it clear that it will have more of both its performance and off-road trim grades coming along with the rest of the new lineup.
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