In this WebRidesTV.com special, we attended the 2006 LA Auto Show and sat in at the Hyundai Press Conference where the Hyundai HCD10 Hellion was unveiled. Meant to be a small but tough SUV crossover, the Hellion is certainly unique. Designed in Irvine California, an aggressive “ribbed” look is the theme of the Hellion, making it look skeletal in appearance with heavy and defined body lines.
To keep it from looking planted or boxy, the Hellion has a severely swept back windscreen and rounded rear end. A removable canvas top gives the Jeep a run for its money, and Teflon coated rims keep help protect the plastic on off road excursions. Underneath the canvas top is a fully functional roll cage for safety, and the clamshell hood design allows easy access to the engine bay.
The hellion’s revolutionary looks aren’t the only innovations here. It appears as though the engineers had free reign with this car, adding strange but nonetheless useful amenities like seats that have gear packs attached to the backs and feature a push button release. Another innovation is a central cooler for drinks, which then get plumbed to each individual seat like a camelback backpack or a hydration system for long distance autocross racers.
As the announcer Stan White pointed out, these would effectively “replace the cup holder”. The interior retains the “ribbed” design by having an illuminated center console that runs along the length of the roof like a glowing backbone, and the interior is also skeletal in appearance, with lots of material scooped out from where it would normally be solid, like the seat backs, dash, and door panels. Hidden drawers are contained in the front of each seat and the center console contains lids with translucent strips which allow a better view of their contents. Squinty headlights and a squat, planted look make the Hellion look like a Rhinoceros about ready to charge.
The Hellion is just as powerful as it looks, with a 3L V6 common rail diesel engine capable of 236HP and 332ft-lbs of torque! Mated to a 6 speed transmission and equipped with four wheel drive, the Hellion should be a welcome addition to Hyundai’s growing list of quality cars.
