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Hyundai Gives Its Wild Baja Santa Fe Render the Green Light

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The Hyundai Santa Fe is designed as a practical family SUV, but a new digital rendering gives it a very different job. Automotive artist Khyzyl Saleem has reworked the boxy SUV into a widebody, two-door desert machine built for rough terrain.

Hyundai USA liked the concept enough to share the renders through its official social channels, even though there is no plan to produce the vehicle.

From Family SUV to Baja Build

Saleem’s design changes almost every part of the standard Santa Fe. The digital concept drops the rear doors and adopts much wider bodywork, creating proportions closer to a dedicated off-road racer than a three-row family vehicle.

Instagram | hyundaiusa | Saleem transforms the family Santa Fe into a two-door, wide-body off-road racer.

Only a few familiar Santa Fe details remain. The H-shaped headlights and taillights carry over, along with the front windshield. Everything around them takes a far more aggressive direction.

The concept uses large beadlock wheels with chunky off-road tires. Wide fender extensions cover the tires and feature integrated fins. The front and rear bumpers are also removed to improve approach and departure angles on rough terrain.

Other changes include:

– A sculpted hood
– Roof-mounted auxiliary LED lights
– Two spare tires at the rear
– Large air channels in the rear quarter panels

A Santa Fe Built for Speed

A real version of the concept would need much more than cosmetic changes. The design would likely require a custom chassis, long-travel suspension, stronger components, and an engine capable of handling high-speed off-road driving.

Its purpose would also be completely different from the regular Santa Fe. Instead of carrying passengers and cargo on daily trips, this version would be aimed at desert racing and dune driving.

The idea brings to mind limited-production machines such as the Ford Bronco DR, along with more competition-focused vehicles like the Ford Raptor T1+ and Toyota Hilux-based GR DKR Hilux T1+ Dakar racer.

Hyundai Shares the Concept

Instagram | hyundaiusa | Saleem’s concept showcases the Santa Fe’s extreme off-road potential, even if only in digital form.

Hyundai USA posted the renderings on Facebook with the caption: “The comments made suggestions. Khyzyl Saleem had an answer.”

The post continued by describing the design as an “insane Hyundai SANTA FE build” and asked followers which Hyundai model should be modified next.

That response is notable because the automaker is not announcing a production vehicle. Instead, the post highlights how digital design work can explore ideas that would be difficult or impractical to build as factory models.

Saleem, known as @the_kyza on Instagram, may also have more Hyundai concepts ahead. The original post hinted at another possible project, including a Lamborghini-inspired take on the Hyundai Ioniq V.

For now, the Baja-style Santa Fe exists only as a digital concept. There is no indication that Hyundai plans to build it for customers or turn it into a production race vehicle. Still, Saleem’s rendering shows how dramatically the familiar SUV can change when practicality gives way to off-road performance and motorsport-inspired design.

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