As the autumn automotive show season rages on, the SEMA Show in Las Vegas remains the spiritual home for high-octane absurdity. After all, this is where you find a 1,000-horsepower Infiniti QX80 R-Spec with a GT-R’s heart and a Hemi Ram 1500 known simply as “The Dude.” Now, Hyundai is keen to join the OEM spectacle, albeit with a slightly more electrifying entry. It’s the Ioniq 9 SEMA off-road concept.
Designed in partnership with BigTime, a content firm founded by Jeremiah Burton and Zach Jobe, the concept aims to inject a dose of rugged nostalgia into Hyundai’s flagship electric crossover. The vehicle will take center stage at SEMA’s “Future Tech Studio”. It’s a dedicated section acknowledging that even Las Vegas customization needs a slight nod toward an electrified future.
The transformation of the upcoming 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is visually aggressive. To grant this top-tier electric crossover SUV some genuine off-road capabilities, the BigTime team bolted on a lifted suspension, custom wheels, and predictably enormous all-terrain tires. For that crucial overlanding touch, a custom auxiliary light bar was added, presumably to help locate charging stations deep in the backcountry.
The most amusing element is the concept’s inspiration. According to BigTime CEO Jeremiah Burton, the future of electric driving comes from the past, specifically their “vintage 1977 cabover truck we call ‘Bud’.” The resulting aesthetic is a bizarre-yet-intriguing collision of the high-tech, fully electric SUV and mid-century trucking. As Burton explains, this vintage fusion proves electric cars can be “fun and functional, while still maintaining character”.
Hyundai has remained silent on any internal modifications to the Ioniq 9’s powertrain or interior. This suggests the concept off-road version retains the standard specs. These include a 110.3 kWh battery pack across all trims, ranging from a 215 HP Rear-Wheel Drive version boasting an EPA-estimated 535 miles of range up to a 429 HP Performance AWD model.
