The Pony Coupe, which existed only in history, will see the light of day again.
Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 24th (Thursday) that it will work with Giorgetto Giugiaro, a legendary Italian designer, to launch a project to restore the original ‘Pony Coupe Concept’ that Hyundai Motor Company showed at the Turin Motor Show in 1974.
Giorgetto Giugiaro, who visited Korea on the 21st at the official invitation of Hyundai Motors, met and spoke with designers at Hyundai Motors and the Kia R&D Center in Namyang and toured the Ulsan factory where the Pony was mass-produced in 1974, starting a collaboration with Hyundai Motors. .
Giorgetto Giugiaro is the founder and CEO of the Italian design company ‘GFG Style’, and has designed many early models of Hyundai Motor Company, including the Pony and Pony Coupe designs, as well as the Pony Excel, Presto, Stella , and 1st Sonata. and generation 2. It is well known.
In 1999, in recognition of his great influence on the car industry, he was chosen as the ‘Best Car Designer of the 20th Century’ by car journalists worldwide, and in 2002, he was also inducted into the ‘Automotive Hall of Fame’.
On this day, Hyundai Motor Company held a design talk event at the Mabuk Campus Vision Hall of the Hyundai Motor Group Human Resource Development Center, attended by Giugiaro, Hyundai Motor Group CCO (Chief Creative Officer) Vice President Luc Donckerwolke, and Hyundai Design Center Vice -president Lee Sang-yeop.
This event was prepared to further cement the brand’s identity by sharing Hyundai Motor Company’s heritage with the public.
At this meeting, Hyundai Motor Company decided to restore the Pony Coupe concept in collaboration with GFG Style, and announced that it will be unveiled for the first time next spring.
The Pony Coupe Concept, which Hyundai Motor Company introduced at the Turin Motor Show in Italy in 1974 along with the Pony, the first independently produced model, drew attention from the global car industry with its wedge-shaped nose, headlamps round head, and geometric lines reminiscent of origami.
Moreover, Giugiaro also revealed that it was completed based on the Pony Coupe when designing the ‘DeLorean DMC 12’ that appeared in the movie ‘Back to the Future’.
Although the Pony Coupe concept was lost without reaching mass production, it still influenced Hyundai Motor Company design in various ways. The Rolling Lab Rolling Lab ‘N Vision 74’ high performance hydrogen hybrid, which was first unveiled in July this year and received favorable reviews from media and customers worldwide, was designed with inspiration from the Pony Coupe concept.
This restoration project reflects the spirit of export patriotism of former chairman Ju-Young Chung, who wished a better life for the people by nurturing automobiles as the nation’s backbone export industry through the development of Pony, and the passion of executives and employees in the centre. a time that wanted to progress as a global brand with the Pony Coupe at the forefront
An official from Hyundai Motor Company said, “Heritage is a glorious footprint of the past and an important asset that opens up new possibilities for the future.” It has been established as an experimental heritage,” he said.
On today’s design talk show, Giorgetto Giugiaro explained the process of designing the concepts, thoughts, and personal meaning of the Pony and Pony Coupe, as well as various stories shown by Hyundai Motors executives to achieve the goal of developing the Pony on the when
In the conversation that followed, Vice President Luc Donckerwolke and Vice President Sangyeop Lee discussed Hyundai Motor Company’s current design and future direction.
Vice President Luc Donckerwolke said, “We are delighted to be collaborating with Giugiaro, a world-renowned master of design.
Vice President Lee Sang-yeop said, “The original Pony and Pony Coupe concepts are special works that have influenced many models such as the ‘Ioniq 5’ and ‘N Vision 74’, which are recognized worldwide -wide for their design competitiveness.” Through the coupe concept, we will be able to continue to develop the philosophy of ‘Shaping the future with legacy’.”
Giorgetto Giugiaro said, “When I was designing the Pony, I was proud to be responsible for the design of Hyundai Motor Company and Korea, which was challenging the fierce global car market.” It’s a great honor to be there,” he said. .
