Hyundai could reveal production Pony Coupe remake this month: report

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Hyundai could reveal a new sports coupe model on May 27, if reports from Korean financial outlet Money Today are accurate. 

The outlet stated that Hyundai would hold a ‘Pony Day’ on 27th May 2023 where the South Korean automaker is slated to announce a mass-market Pony Coupe. 

According to the source, the Hyundai N Vision 74 concept car revealed last year received favourable reviews, encouraging the company to mass produce a version of it. 

Money Today also said that Fabrizio Giugiaro would be the designer for the Pony Coupe, who’s father, Giorgetto, designed the original car back in 1974. 

According to the Hyundai global website, the original Pony “propelled Hyundai onto the global stage and kick-started the Korean car industry”.

In 2019, the marque’s Forty-Five concept – a 45-year anniversary design inspired by the original Pony Coupe – foreshadowed today’s Ioniq 5, Hyundai’s key breakthrough dedicated EV model. 

Interestingly, 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Hyundai original Pony Coupe concept and Pony production models. Given this, the potential launch next year of a contemporary mass-produced Pony Coupe homage wouldn’t seem unfeasible.    

More information will likely come to light before May 27 when the Pony Day is set to take place. 

A quick history recap on the Hyundai Pony

The Hyundai Pony was a rear-wheel-drive small car produced by Hyundai from 1974 right through to 1990. 

The Pony was the first mass-produced vehicle by Hyundai and was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Italdesign. 

Giorgetto was famous for his designs of cars such as the 1979 Lancia Delta, the 1976 Lotus Espirit, the Maserati Merak, the Saab 9000 and the first generation of Volkswagen Golf.

Hyundai built the original Pony in several different body styles, including a two-door ute, three-door liftback, a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon. 

Mitsubishi-sourced Inline-four powertrains were supplied for the Pony, in 1.2-, 1.4- and 1.6-litre displacements. 

In April 2021, Hyundai announced a Pony EV concept featuring pixelated rear LED lights that have since found their way onto the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 electric models. 

High-cost hydrogen electric coupe unlikely to go into production 

Hyundai’s former head of research and development, Albert Biermann, told Chasing Cars at the unveiling of the N Vision 74 concept vehicle that although the concept was technically possible to build, the expense of a production version would see it sell for supercar money. 

The N Vision 74 had outputs of around 500kW/900Nm thanks to a hydrogen-electric setup utilising dual electric motors. A 63kWh usable lithium-ion battery pack and two 4.2kg hydrogen tanks were installed to complete the concept. 

However, Hyundai could use the electric E-GMP platform currently used underneath the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 to put a retro-like Pony body onto, which would do away with the hydrogen setup found in the concept. 

It’s likely that a production Pony Coupe would be priced around a similar segment to the Ioniq range of vehicles, if it does in fact come into mass-production existence.