Hyundai Pony

When Hyundai wanted to develop their own car, they hired George Turnbull, the former managing director of Austin Morris at British Leyland in 1974.[2] He in turn hired five other top British car engineers, Kenneth Barnett as body designer, engineers John Simpson and Edward Chapman, John Crosthwaite as chassis engineer and Peter Slater as chief development engineer.[3][4] With Turnbull's experience with the Morris Marina, [5] engines and transmissions from Mitsubishi, some parts from the Ford Cortina they were already producing, and a hatchback body styled by Italdesign Giugiaro, they developed the Hyundai Pony.

First generation
Hyundai Pony sedan (New Zealand)
Overview
Production	1975–1982
Designer	Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe utility 3-door hatchback 4-door sedan 5-door hatchback 5-door station wagon
Powertrain
Engine	1.2 L Mitsubishi 4G36 I4 1.4 L Mitsubishi 4G33 I4 1.6 L Mitsubishi 4G32 I4
Transmission	4-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,340 mm (92 in)[6]
Length	3,970 mm (156 in)[6] 3,998 mm (157 in) (wagon)[6]
Width	1,558 mm (61 in)[6]
Height	1,360 mm (54 in)[6]
Curb weight	870–935 kg (1,918–2,061 lb)[6]

Hyundai Pony sedan (Chile)

Hyundai Pony 3-door hatchback (New Zealand)

Rear view of Hyundai Pony 3-door hatchback

Hyundai Pony estate (Spain)

Hyundai Pony pickup (Greece)

The Pony was presented at the Turin Motor Show in October 1974, and the car was introduced in December 1975 as a four-door sedan to compete with the Saehan Gemini and Kia Brisa. A coupé utility version was added in May 1976, which was called Pick-up. Technically, a pickup has a separate cargo tray while the Pony had it integrated in the body. A station wagon arrived in April 1977. In 1981, the small bootlid from the sedan was replaced by a hatchback creating a new five-door model. This was accompanied with a new three-door hatchback. The Pony was loosely based on the Morris Marina, with former British Leyland engineers being hired by Hyundai to design the car.[7]

Hyundai began exporting the Pony to Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Egypt in 1976. European exports began in 1979 with Belgium and the Netherlands, with Greece added shortly thereafter. Export to the United Kingdom started in 1983 with the second generation Pony. The Pick-up version was added in October that year, only available with the smaller, 1.2 liter, engine and a 380 kg (838 lb) payload.[8]

The 1.2 L (1238 cc) four-cylinder engine claimed 55 PS (40 kW) and the 1.4 L (1439 cc) produced 68 PS (50 kW). The 1.4 GLS was tested by the British car magazine Motor and top speed was 92 mph with acceleration from 0–60 mph in 15.3 seconds.[9]

Second generation
Second generation Hyundai Pony hatchback
Overview
Production	1982–1990
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupe utility 5-door hatchback
Powertrain
Engine	1.2 L Mitsubishi 4G36 I4 1.4 L Mitsubishi 4G33 I4 1.6 L Mitsubishi 4G32 I4
Transmission	4-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,340 mm (92 in)[10]
Length	4,029 mm (159 in) (hatchback)[10] 4,184 mm (165 in) (Canada)[11]
Width	1,566 mm (62 in)[10]
Height	1,355 mm (53 in) (hatchback)[10] 1,367 mm (54 in) (Canada)[11]
Curb weight	920–1,015 kg (2,028–2,238 lb)[10][11]

Canadian specification Hyundai Pony 1600 GLS

Hyundai Pony 1200 pickup (Chile)

Hyundai Pony Pickup (South Korea)

Interior

In January 1982, the Pony II was presented. Although technically identical to the original Pony, due to the full restyling it's considered as the second generation Pony. Quoting a sales brochure: You'll see New Pony luxury in such things as rectangular halogen headlamps, fitted in a smart new radiator grille. You'll see it in the wrap-around indicators, completely re-styled rear lamp clusters and neatly designed instrument panel with easy-to-read gauges. These new refinements are just part of many distinctive features of the New Pony. The Pony II was only available as five-door hatchback and two-door Pick-up.

With the Pony II, export also began to the UK in the spring of 1982 – making it the first Korean car to be sold there. This marked the beginning of a very successful foray into the European market by Korean carmakers, with Kia arriving in 1991 and Daewoo in 1995. The Daewoo brand disappeared after a decade when General Motors decided to adopt the Chevrolet brand on its European market models, but Hyundai and Kia have both enjoyed increasing success on the UK market.

The Pony was also exported to Canada from 1983, but not to the United States because it did not pass federal emissions standards there (the Pony's successor model, the Excel, would be the first Hyundai car model to be sold in the United States). Canadian sales greatly exceeded expectations, and it was at one point the top-selling car in that market, as they were among the most inexpensive cars sold there. The Pony II was notorious for poor quality, although it afforded a much higher degree of quality and refinement in the lowest-price auto segment than the Eastern-bloc imports of the period then available, which helped Hyundai to get a foothold in that market.[12]

In Europe, the front wheel drive Hyundai Excel was sold under the Pony name from 1985 as a replacement of the rear wheel drive version. In other markets, the second generation Pony continued on sale alongside the new Hyundai Excel. Until discontinuation, Excel carried the Pony name.

• The first generation Excel (X1) was called Pony in Europe from 1985 to 1987, and the face-lifted model from 1987-1989 was called the Pony XP.
• For the second generation Excel (X2), the hatchback versions were called Pony in Europe.

The final usage of the name was with the first generation Hyundai Accent, sold as the Pony in France. The Pony name was last used by Hyundai in 2000.