Πολύ κρίμα που στην Ελλάδα ανακαλύψαμε πολύ αργά αυτήν την εταιρία! Σχεδιαστές που στη Βρετανία απέτυχαν στην Νότιο Κορέα αποδείχθηκαν εξαιρετικοί! Πολλά συγχαρητήεια για το βίντεο!
These stories are so interesting but I can't help being left with a bitter-sweet taste- it is so good to see the companies succeed but at the same time it is a shame we couldn't experience similar success with our products at home. A mate had a 1970s Datsun pick-up which was very successful all over the world, but it was partly based on old BMC technology and running gear. Similarly, International Harvester UK stopped building their B(ritish) series tractors in 1970 and sold the rights to Mahindra in India, who went on to make them one of the most popular tractors in the world in terms of numbers sold,
I agree there’s a side to this that the building blocks were British. So many strong brands started producing British cars under licence at the start or in this case, engineering expertise.
@@Lot76CARS We are no longer building "cars" in North America any more, other than a few "specials", Tesla, Mustang, some Challengers, Camaro and Corvettes. All we are building are trucks and SUV's, which will soon be disappearing, or leaving. It's the legacy costs, pension, health care, that are killing things here.
It was the only body style to carry over between the original and the facelifted (square headlights) Pony 2. The original 4-door sedan and the 3-door hatchback and 5-door wagon added during the run were all replaced by a 5-door hatchback.
The first Hyundai sold in the US was the 1986 Excel. (Fun fact - Americans pronounce "Hyundai" with a silent "y" because the launch ads said "rhymes with Sunday"). I test drove a used 1987 or '88 model around '94 or '95, it had the HEAVIEST steering I ever encountered. Being experienced at that point with manual steering, when it didn't lighten up once moving I pulled over and checked the front tires weren't flat, popped the hood to visually check it was indeed equipped with manual steering and I wasn't fighting a dead PS pump, and returned the car to the seller.
Love the comment about checking the tire pressures as the steering was so heavy, virtually everybody of my generation grew up with nonassisted steering, but it will be a shock to most new drivers these days!
I was just a kid when the Pony came to Canada in '84. In my teens when I started learning about cars, I was surprised at how rudimentary it was. Points distributor, manual choke and the engine oil fill cap was a big rubber plug.
@@dadgarage7966 Hyundai was trying to "steal" customers away from the base model variants of Japanese compact cars at that time. So, you could imagine how crazily cheap the most basic version or trim level of the Pony sold in Canada when compared to base-model Corolla, Tercel, Accord and Civic
Nearly right about the 'assembly' of CKD kits for the Cortina and Escort - the body shells were pressed in Korea and the main floor section of the Pony was Escort with the front dog house provided with the engine / trans by Mitsubishi - Hyundai built over 5,000 base model Escorts to Ford UK fleet sales in 1970 and 71 , I owned one of these in the 1970's ex North East Electricity Board and boy was it 'basic' !!!
Many thanks, in actual fact more SKD than CKD? I’d absolutely no idea they built cars for Ford Britain, that will send me down another research rabbit hole I’m sure!!
@@Lot76CARS I am sure Ford UK will be very helpful [not] as lots of fishy goings on went on with fleet sales - better research dealerships / Ford Canada [for NZ & SA ] - Pattersons of Newcastle serviced all of the NEEB & Proctor and Gamble MCCK cars [Modern Car Company of Korea] which Hyundai's were tagged as [ Vins were Korea country code prefixed] !!!
I did search the Autocar archive but couldn’t see any references but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen… it’s a fascinating little rabbit hole to climb down for sure! Thanks for flagging this up!
I can still remember when the Dutch, one of the few markets where the first Pony was offered, came to Switzerland on vacation with their Hyundai Pony's. Hyundai was not launched on the market in most european countries until 1990.
The Dutch know a bargain when they see one, probably why is sold so well in markets like this where purchase taxes are significant maybe and a new car for the price of a second hand example of a better know brand. This happened with Lada and Proton in the UK.
First time i saw a hyundai pony and stellar was at the toronto auto show in 1983 (i think?) As being from the usa, i had never seen either of them before. I thought they were p rd etty good looking cars at the time. I still have the brochues i saved from the show
I've never been in a Hyundai Pony, but bought my first i30 in 2009, when they were still a budget brand. By the time I bought my next i30 in 2017, their prices were comparable with those of mid-range manufacturers. I'm ready for a new one now, and will need to remortgage my house to afford it!
I remember these coming out. Always thought it was the Hillman (British Chrysler) Avenger they "lifted" the silhouette from. One of my part timers at the time had one bought for him by his parents as his first car. What I remember was some part breakdown that kept the car on the stealership lot waiting for parts from Korea for 9 months! Meanwhile he walked to work.
It does have a hint of avenger now you mention it. Breaking down that’s not good, given everybody was so damning about British cars of the same period!
@Lot76CARS it was Phil's Pony that broke down new. I'm no stranger to British cars. My Canadian family owned, drove, stripped for parts and repaired over 30 minis in the late 70s well into the 90s. Our friends called us mini crazy and for that period I guess we were. Used them as daily transport and souped some up and street raced em'. Cars over here in that time period were in the malaise period, after the muscle car period ended in the earliest of 70s and a hopped up mini could beat up on all kinds of late 70s American iron. I could walk a 5.0 litre Mustang quarter mile and much worse 0-60 all the way up to the later to 80s Mustangs.
@malcolmhamilton5200 i think most of my family had a mini at one time or another, I should have kept my first one but already very rotten at 10 years old sadly, but nothing on earth drives like a mini!
@@Lot76CARS certainly nothing back then handled like a mini. We welded ours back together, reinforcing areas and adding extra motor mounts to stop the engines tearing out of the cars.
My family also owned one when we lived in Arabia. It was stolen during the night on two or three occasions, and returned the following morning with parts replaced from other cars. Utterly bizarre.
The Pony I always found an affordable alternative to a smaller more luxurious car/brand. It is practical (I like hatchbacks) affordable and if you drove it for longer time one could justify write off.
I remember these cars in the early 1980’s. I was a high school student in British Columbia Canada. My memory is the majority of these cars one saw were burning the blues. And not just burning a little bit of oil, but big clouds of blue smoke when you followed a pony. And, like so many cars of the era, they rusted out very quickly. It seemed like it should of been a robust design, but I have not seen a a pony in at least 25 years
I hadn't seen one for years either, but last summer I did see one in Coquitlam, being driven by an older lady. They had a reputation as crap cars, but I suspect because they were the lowest priced cars available, they appealed to people who were either too cheap or too poor to spend money on maintenance.
I remember working for a British Leyland dealer in Detroit in the early 70's. We had gotten the Austin Marina's. Not bad looking especially with the dealer installed GT stripe. Had driven better cars and worse cars. Nice to see that the Marina's finally did get some respect rather than a punchline on Top Gear.
Have you seen the current model Hyundai Stargazer? A seven seater MPV that seriously looks like an egg from outer space. At least that's the way a lot of people online here in the Philippines (where they usually adore anything Korean, from K-pop music to TV drama series), and it's too radical for them.
you left out the fact that the ioniq 5 is a modern day Hyundai pony it's a retro throw back to that car a spiritual successor and the N Vision 74 concept a modern retro version of the Hyundai pony coupe concept
That’s a good point, and I must admit it didn’t come up in my research but some is also mentioned that there was an estate version, I must have a look at both of those, thanks for highlighting that.
I can remember primary school pffft would be late 70's, the teachers carpark and David Smith saying that Mr Mannings Pony looks bit like Mrs Caters Marina. Kind of did when you looked at the 2 of them parked close. ( her Marina was way cooler, GT, vinyl roof, go fast stripes and mags with big tyres - hey I was 8 ) Got to remember in 1970's early 80's cars were different by brand etc, none of this same, same style you have today. You could tell a car just from the basic outline shape 2 miles down the road.
Good point, although many years since they produced the last one but even the Hyundai Stellar was very closely related to the Cortina, so maybe they do.
Here in Canada, the Mitsubishi engine made all the difference. During the brief period when it was imported, the Marina was one of the very worst cars on offer in Canada. British Leyland "quality" and an engine that almost never ran right during three seasons and not at all in winter. The Pony always started, always ran even when it was -30c. It was an inexpensive car that was entirely adequate for the task.
I must admit when doing the research, I was very surprised how well received the car was in Canada and how many were actually sold. As you say, the lure of reliable Japanese powertrains must’ve played a big factor. wonder how many surviving Canada today?
I remember when they were introduced in Canada. They were considered simple, even boring in design but quite popular with women and anyone who needed economical transportation. I never knew until now, the deep connection to the British car industry. Makes me wonder why this car or one like it was not made in Britain. I suppose if you could answer that question you would know why the British car and motorcycle industry failed.
@@Lot76CARS The big appeal was the low price. This is practically necessary when launching a new, unknown make of car. All the Japanese and Koran companies did it. Once they established a reputation they began to sell more expensive models.
@@Lot76CARS I remember seeing the Austin Marina sedan at an auto show in the early seventies. It was slightly more expensive than a Ford Maverick. The Maverick was a six cylinder four door sedan with auto trans, the Marina was a smaller 4 cylinder sedan with an auto trans. They did sell a few Marinas. The Pony was similar but considerably cheaper and backed by a growing dealer organization. By that time Austin had been in the Canadian market for 25 years and their dealers were hit or miss.
I bought a used 85 Stellar GLS (with rebuilt engine) in1992 . Everything worked except the r/r power window for $700. Ran it to work for 3 years (80,000kms) until rust killed it. Never a powerhouse it always made me laugh when with more than 2 people in the car the car would go into passing gear when the A/C kicked in !!!
Thanks, Leonard for commenting, I love these personal experiences which are shared . I always liked the look of the Stellar from a styling perspective, even though underneath it was a relatively rudimentary Ford Cortina floor panel.
Morris Marina-ish & Italian-inspired design with engines sourced by Mitsubishi's parts bin, most probably engines that were considered feeble in power and not economical enough for the increasingly penny-pinching Japanese and Europeans. But whatever happened and whatever reviews the car had, it was a good baby step for Hyundai Group's motor manufacturing.
@jyy9624 And also South Korea's economic policies during 1970s. Very interesting mix of capitalist and govt-controlled approaches. That's how Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo got to build and export cars.
The Pony is what the Marina could and should have been, a simple car but with Italian styling (something rejected by BL) and contemporary front end suspension rather than the 1940s Marina front end, having rejected the adoption of struts in the belief they coukd use Minor tooling, only to find the tooling needed replacing anyway.
@@grahamariss2111 many thanks for commenting . I totally agree Graham, and that’s what my research picked up that George simply wanted to refine the concept of the last guy he was involved with with Austin Morris, the Marina. Weather project was probably starved of investment and with political in fighting this clean sheet of paper allowed him the scope to achieve something that was less compromised.
A friend of mine owned the first generation. It was indeed based on the Mitsubishi Lancer. Let's say Hyundai's beginnings were humble. The Mitsubishi Lancer was way better made. The Pony had rattles, rust and small defects everywhere, hard plastics of very low quality. The engine and gearbox were good, though. The next gen Pony (Excel) was based on the Mitsubishi Colt and was leaps and bounds better. My father had one (1.5 GL manual) and so i could compare them.
Thanks for your comments, I’ve only seen the first generation cars in the pictures. I don’t think any of them survive in the UK. I suspect the price was the biggest selling point as you would probably choose a Japanese brand first, but they will be coming a bit expensive by this time.
in Canada it was a piece of junk...equipped with contact point ignition(ancient technology)..and a camshaft pin that fell out and rendered the thing useless..almost as bad as an imported Vauxhall Viva..a guy said he drove it off the lot brand new...shifted into 2nd and the gear shifter broke off in his hand...my 1970 required nightly repairs...364 days a year...the good old junkers
Business structures in the east are not what they are in the west. Every Eastern car manufacturer suffers from "cross pollination" from many sources. Hyundai really got their start building Fords, then there was the hook-up with Mitsubishi, then finally they brought in the "winning ways" of British Leland. From the frying pan and into the fire. In Canada, Hyundai Pony cars, were the cheapest of the cheap, sold out of any 2 bit operation, and had a life expectancy of maybe 3 years. The usefulness of these cars depended on 2 things, your ability to tinker, and the number of junk ones you owned for parts. After the British influence disappeared they were pretty close to 3rd run Mitsubishi cars. First run Mitsubishi cars = current production cars branded "Mitsubishi", second run Mitsubishi cars = cars and parts re-branded Chrysler, third run Mitsubishi = cars and parts re-branded Hyundai. As Chrysler has pretty well backed away from Mitsubishi to be replaced by Hyundai. At one point you could buy a 3 litre Mitsubishi car, buy the same motor in a Dodge mini-van, and buy the same motor in a Hyundai/Kia (yes, Hyundai bought Kia). Currently Hyundai/Kia cars are sold in Canada, they seem to have a bit more than their share of catastrophic failures which are handled (if a bit slowly) under warranty. Every time I get to thinking I should buy one I have to remind myself that I know better than to do that.
Indeed, having a new car for the price of a used one must have played a huge role in their initial success… as you say, just look at where they are today.
I never realised the Pony was based on the Marina. We missed a trick there. Like the Nissan Micra being based on the Metro. I owned both and the engines were very similar, even down to being 998cc.
The Marina was a significantly larger vehicle. The Hyundai Pony started with Mitsubishi A50 Galant, but the government program "encouraged" Hyundai to develop it into a distinct model. By Turnbull's own testimony, Pony was 80% complete when he arrived.
Just watch out for flying pianos! Marina,, really Here in Oz we got the hubcaps a couple of years, early 80s, before the cars,, test the market! No rear drive but front drive with Mitsi engines. Boring and barely functional cars. Solid enough and ok transport. I even still have a stock of new parts for them. The X2 Hyundia was the one that sold quite well. Better car, nicer to drive but still Korean, things like blurry mirrors etcand loose trim let it down. They were the best of the Korean nasties. Daewoo, Kia and Hyundia. The later Accent has never been as popular The later twin cam ones have a racing series for near stock ones. Been going over a decade now.
I thought Mitsubishi helped them with their Pony. Early Pony and the Sonata are pure junk. They made them in Quebec in the early eighties to get into the Canadian market for North American segment.
Interesting how a mere opinion can be presented as a universal fact by know-it-alls. At least an apology was made but that comes out as a sneer as well.
It’s the typical view of a Brit, heavily exaggerating their role in the process to feed their national pride. And judging by the comments you can already see to what nonsense it leads to. Shame. I prefer the facts.
We have to take the credit where we can😉 but in fairness in all the research I did the role of George Turnbull was significant in getting it off the ground quickly and having a clean sheet of paper to start with was helpful. Clearly there was huge commitment and funding from Korea to make it work and that’s why their industry continues to flourish.
@ It was significant because the research you did was just in English, and British (car) media tends to exaggerate their role heavily. Send two engineers to a manufacturer and they think they developed the entire car and couldn’t have done it without the Brits. Nationalism aside and the story becomes a lot more balanced. Nice to see my old Pony in the video though. I bet Hyundai gave permission for using those clips :)
I think it was actually five engineers plus George Turnbull www.aronline.co.uk/opinion/george-turnbull-30-years-on/ perhaps there was some undocumented Dutch assistance also? All clips correctly credited to the source by the way.
Never got the horrible Hyundai Pony in Australia we did get the Australian made Morris Marina even put a 6 cylinder engine in the Marina to against the Japanese cars which were starting to get a foot hold in Australia because they were more reliable than the British cars and some are going well were others are failing all over the world . I don't like Hyundai's or Kias because of there dreadful reputation for there endless recalls and there spontaneously combusting yes they catch fire in Australia which is ehy l would never buy any vehicle that has any reputation of catching on fire and the Hyundai Pony based on an awful Morris Marina why so thats why Hyundais are rubbish they were built lije a Morris Marina well were is Morris Austin Hillman Humber Sunbeam ect now gone why they made rubbish cars there are plenty of Hyundais and Kias sold in Australia but the biggest selling btand for the past 26 years is Toyota of course and l can see why they are the best at building cars apart from Lexus Mazda Suzuki and Honda and we own a 2017 Suzuki Baleno and a 1997 Toyota Hilux
To be fair George Turnbull wanted to ‘improve’ on the Marina as it was the last car he’d been involved with, many people would agree that was worthwhile. In my youth I bought a Marina thinking they were as undervalued bargain… I soon wised up that they weren’t when the petrol tank split and the jack went through the floor….
Well, everything single carmaking company after World War 2 had to start somewhere by making cars with partially inferior component but having engines and gearbox that could at least be worthy enough to be used as refurbished spare parts once the production period is over.
Well that's YOUR opinion and as everyone is entitled to have one, you are aswell. The little sh!tbox Marina was basically a rehashed MkII Cortina, as those two were designed by the same guy. Roy Haynes. Giugiaro however, did some masterpieces. Mk1 Golf, Lancia Delta, S1 Lotus Esprit, VW Scirocco, BMW M1 just to name a few. And some farts. (Cash restrained sensible shoes econoboxes ) The pony, Daewoo Matiz, '05 Croma, Yougo, I'll stop the list there or I'll be sick all over my phone.
I went to Hyundai in Ulsan in 1985 when their first test facility was built. I worked in test and dev , the only foreigner at the time.
Interesting times I bet Stephen! I wonder even back then if there was feeling that they’d become such a significant global player in automotive?
Greta story Simon. I have watched that BBC documentary a few times before and now with your input it gives now a complete perspective.
Many thanks, one of those stories that became a bit of a rabbit hole and I needed to know more myself as well!
Excellent history lesson of a visionary car company. Thank you.👍
Many thanks, I must admit I enjoyed researching this too.
Great video. Thanks.
@@TheFantasia93 thanks, much appreciated, I’m going to work on a few more like this.
I bought an 87 PONY cx in 1997 really cheap with low mileage, lasted 5 years and was fun to drive in the snow because rear drive.
Πολύ κρίμα που στην Ελλάδα ανακαλύψαμε πολύ αργά αυτήν την εταιρία! Σχεδιαστές που στη Βρετανία απέτυχαν στην Νότιο Κορέα αποδείχθηκαν εξαιρετικοί! Πολλά συγχαρητήεια για το βίντεο!
Many thanks for watching!
These stories are so interesting but I can't help being left with a bitter-sweet taste- it is so good to see the companies succeed but at the same time it is a shame we couldn't experience similar success with our products at home. A mate had a 1970s Datsun pick-up which was very successful all over the world, but it was partly based on old BMC technology and running gear. Similarly, International Harvester UK stopped building their B(ritish) series tractors in 1970 and sold the rights to Mahindra in India, who went on to make them one of the most popular tractors in the world in terms of numbers sold,
I agree there’s a side to this that the building blocks were British. So many strong brands started producing British cars under licence at the start or in this case, engineering expertise.
@@Lot76CARS We are no longer building "cars" in North America any more, other than a few "specials", Tesla, Mustang, some Challengers, Camaro and Corvettes. All we are building are trucks and SUV's, which will soon be disappearing, or leaving. It's the legacy costs, pension, health care, that are killing things here.
There was a Pony pick-up truck.
Tandy made a demountable camper unit to fit it.
Thanks! I didn’t know that!
It was the only body style to carry over between the original and the facelifted (square headlights) Pony 2. The original 4-door sedan and the 3-door hatchback and 5-door wagon added during the run were all replaced by a 5-door hatchback.
You can see two white ones at 5:15 getting ready to be loaded onto the ship...
@_Ben4810 well observed!
@_Ben4810 bottom of the class for my observation skills🫢
Nice to be reminded about this interesting history, thanks. 🙂
The first Hyundai sold in the US was the 1986 Excel. (Fun fact - Americans pronounce "Hyundai" with a silent "y" because the launch ads said "rhymes with Sunday"). I test drove a used 1987 or '88 model around '94 or '95, it had the HEAVIEST steering I ever encountered. Being experienced at that point with manual steering, when it didn't lighten up once moving I pulled over and checked the front tires weren't flat, popped the hood to visually check it was indeed equipped with manual steering and I wasn't fighting a dead PS pump, and returned the car to the seller.
Love the comment about checking the tire pressures as the steering was so heavy, virtually everybody of my generation grew up with nonassisted steering, but it will be a shock to most new drivers these days!
American's pronounce it that way because that the way the announcers in their commercials pronounce it. Same reason we pronounce Nissan the way we do.
Canada pronounces it the same way as in the USA.
Another Fascinating story Simon. Very well researched and presented as always.
Thanks Mark, an interesting one to research too!
I was just a kid when the Pony came to Canada in '84. In my teens when I started learning about cars, I was surprised at how rudimentary it was. Points distributor, manual choke and the engine oil fill cap was a big rubber plug.
@@dadgarage7966 Hyundai was trying to "steal" customers away from the base model variants of Japanese compact cars at that time. So, you could imagine how crazily cheap the most basic version or trim level of the Pony sold in Canada when compared to base-model Corolla, Tercel, Accord and Civic
Knew none of this Hyundai sorry. Thanks. For producing.
A very interesting video
Many thanks for watching and commenting!
Nearly right about the 'assembly' of CKD kits for the Cortina and Escort - the body shells were pressed in Korea and the main floor section of the Pony was Escort with the front dog house provided with the engine / trans by Mitsubishi - Hyundai built over 5,000 base model Escorts to Ford UK fleet sales in 1970 and 71 , I owned one of these in the 1970's ex North East Electricity Board and boy was it 'basic' !!!
Many thanks, in actual fact more SKD than CKD? I’d absolutely no idea they built cars for Ford Britain, that will send me down another research rabbit hole I’m sure!!
Wow, so those NEEB fleet cars that I saw driving around when I was little were really Hyundais? Mind blown.
@@Lot76CARS I am sure Ford UK will be very helpful [not] as lots of fishy goings on went on with fleet sales - better research dealerships / Ford Canada [for NZ & SA ] - Pattersons of Newcastle serviced all of the NEEB & Proctor and Gamble MCCK cars [Modern Car Company of Korea] which Hyundai's were tagged as [ Vins were Korea country code prefixed] !!!
I did search the Autocar archive but couldn’t see any references but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen… it’s a fascinating little rabbit hole to climb down for sure! Thanks for flagging this up!
I can still remember when the Dutch, one of the few markets where the first Pony was offered, came to Switzerland on vacation with their Hyundai Pony's. Hyundai was not launched on the market in most european countries until 1990.
The Dutch know a bargain when they see one, probably why is sold so well in markets like this where purchase taxes are significant maybe and a new car for the price of a second hand example of a better know brand. This happened with Lada and Proton in the UK.
That prototype does remind me of the DeLorean and not just because of the colour.
Both designed by Giurgiaro at the same time, no coincidence indeed.
First time i saw a hyundai pony and stellar was at the toronto auto show in 1983 (i think?) As being from the usa, i had never seen either of them before. I thought they were p rd etty good looking cars at the time. I still have the brochues i saved from the show
I agree, the Stellar absolutely gets my vote!
I've never been in a Hyundai Pony, but bought my first i30 in 2009, when they were still a budget brand. By the time I bought my next i30 in 2017, their prices were comparable with those of mid-range manufacturers. I'm ready for a new one now, and will need to remortgage my house to afford it!
Car prices have gone through the roof, my Dad had a Santa Fe 2/3 generation but when he came to replace it the latest versions were too expensive
The Pony was a ubiquitous taxi car in Chile during the late 70s and 80s, along with the Peugeot 404 and the Brazilian-made Chevette.
Thanks, I didn’t know it did so well in South America!
I remember these coming out. Always thought it was the Hillman (British Chrysler) Avenger they "lifted" the silhouette from. One of my part timers at the time had one bought for him by his parents as his first car. What I remember was some part breakdown that kept the car on the stealership lot waiting for parts from Korea for 9 months! Meanwhile he walked to work.
It does have a hint of avenger now you mention it. Breaking down that’s not good, given everybody was so damning about British cars of the same period!
@Lot76CARS it was Phil's Pony that broke down new. I'm no stranger to British cars. My Canadian family owned, drove, stripped for parts and repaired over 30 minis in the late 70s well into the 90s. Our friends called us mini crazy and for that period I guess we were. Used them as daily transport and souped some up and street raced em'. Cars over here in that time period were in the malaise period, after the muscle car period ended in the earliest of 70s and a hopped up mini could beat up on all kinds of late 70s American iron. I could walk a 5.0 litre Mustang quarter mile and much worse 0-60 all the way up to the later to 80s Mustangs.
@malcolmhamilton5200 i think most of my family had a mini at one time or another, I should have kept my first one but already very rotten at 10 years old sadly, but nothing on earth drives like a mini!
@@Lot76CARS certainly nothing back then handled like a mini. We welded ours back together, reinforcing areas and adding extra motor mounts to stop the engines tearing out of the cars.
The EV Pony looks better than a lot of the other EVs. Well done, Hyundai.
Agree, I think this would sell as it more interesting than most EV offerings.. except for the Renault 5
There was also a Pony Estate. I had one when I worked in Saudi Arabia. Very solid Mitsubishi engine...
Thanks for that!! I’ll Google the estate to see how it looked.
My family also owned one when we lived in Arabia.
It was stolen during the night on two or three occasions, and returned the following morning with parts replaced from other cars. Utterly bizarre.
😮incredible
The Pony I always found an affordable alternative to a smaller more luxurious car/brand. It is practical (I like hatchbacks) affordable and if you drove it for longer time one could justify write off.
I remember these cars in the early 1980’s. I was a high school student in British Columbia Canada. My memory is the majority of these cars one saw were burning the blues. And not just burning a little bit of oil, but big clouds of blue smoke when you followed a pony. And, like so many cars of the era, they rusted out very quickly. It seemed like it should of been a robust design, but I have not seen a a pony in at least 25 years
Incredible, given how big the Canadian market was for them. In fairness I’ve never ever seen an early car in the UK for years!
@@Lot76CARS I saw an early one in Malta last year - it was rotten as a pear !!!
I hadn't seen one for years either, but last summer I did see one in Coquitlam, being driven by an older lady. They had a reputation as crap cars, but I suspect because they were the lowest priced cars available, they appealed to people who were either too cheap or too poor to spend money on maintenance.
I remember working for a British Leyland dealer in Detroit in the early 70's. We had gotten the Austin Marina's. Not bad looking especially with the dealer installed GT stripe. Had driven better cars and worse cars. Nice to see that the Marina's finally did get some respect rather than a punchline on Top Gear.
Thanks for your comments! Did you get the 6 cylinder variant sold in Australia as well?
Car ❤Tiene que ser un poco diferente de mí y del otro chico.
Back in the day in Korea you could buy this or the locally assembled Opel. Taxes on consumer imports was 200%
No wonder it sold so well!
@Lot76CARS 😆
Have you seen the current model Hyundai Stargazer? A seven seater MPV that seriously looks like an egg from outer space. At least that's the way a lot of people online here in the Philippines (where they usually adore anything Korean, from K-pop music to TV drama series), and it's too radical for them.
Thanks. No I haven’t! For sure I must google that I’m intrigued!
you left out the fact that the ioniq 5 is a modern day Hyundai pony it's a retro throw back to that car a spiritual successor and the N Vision 74 concept a modern retro version of the Hyundai pony coupe concept
I agree, I do like the ioniq 5 and its Golf Mk1 looks, its a bigger in the metal than it looks in the pictures too.
How Hyundai have come on now, very well respected with a long warranty.
Indeed, in fact leaders rather than followers eg EVs in a relatively short time period.
They had to offer a long warranty to entice buyers because they were well known for being poorly constructed and problematic.
Τhe 2nd gen. Pony was hatchback (at last) and FWD, with few external changes (mostly on the front).
A neighbour had an 82 UK spec Pony pickup. No mention of the pickup here ?!
That’s a good point, and I must admit it didn’t come up in my research but some is also mentioned that there was an estate version, I must have a look at both of those, thanks for highlighting that.
I can remember primary school pffft would be late 70's, the teachers carpark and David Smith saying that Mr Mannings Pony looks bit like Mrs Caters Marina. Kind of did when you looked at the 2 of them parked close. ( her Marina was way cooler, GT, vinyl roof, go fast stripes and mags with big tyres - hey I was 8 )
Got to remember in 1970's early 80's cars were different by brand etc, none of this same, same style you have today. You could tell a car just from the basic outline shape 2 miles down the road.
I wonder if Hyundai Korea still sells Cortina parts?
Good point, although many years since they produced the last one but even the Hyundai Stellar was very closely related to the Cortina, so maybe they do.
Here in Canada, the Mitsubishi engine made all the difference. During the brief period when it was imported, the Marina was one of the very worst cars on offer in Canada. British Leyland "quality" and an engine that almost never ran right during three seasons and not at all in winter. The Pony always started, always ran even when it was -30c. It was an inexpensive car that was entirely adequate for the task.
I must admit when doing the research, I was very surprised how well received the car was in Canada and how many were actually sold. As you say, the lure of reliable Japanese powertrains must’ve played a big factor. wonder how many surviving Canada today?
I remember when they were introduced in Canada. They were considered simple, even boring in design but quite popular with women and anyone who needed economical transportation. I never knew until now, the deep connection to the British car industry. Makes me wonder why this car or one like it was not made in Britain. I suppose if you could answer that question you would know why the British car and motorcycle industry failed.
I think George Turnbull wanted to improve on ‘his’ Marina project and this was the chance. I was also amazed how well it was received in Canada.
@@Lot76CARS The big appeal was the low price. This is practically necessary when launching a new, unknown make of car. All the Japanese and Koran companies did it. Once they established a reputation they began to sell more expensive models.
@@Lot76CARS I remember seeing the Austin Marina sedan at an auto show in the early seventies. It was slightly more expensive than a Ford Maverick. The Maverick was a six cylinder four door sedan with auto trans, the Marina was a smaller 4 cylinder sedan with an auto trans. They did sell a few Marinas. The Pony was similar but considerably cheaper and backed by a growing dealer organization. By that time Austin had been in the Canadian market for 25 years and their dealers were hit or miss.
@@Lot76CARS I imagine it was the cheapest car on the market. I don't think they had anything going for them, other than the price.
Retaining the name Pony for sale in Britain - the Koreans had clearly never heard Cockney rhyming slang!
We better not tell them, too late I guess!
I bought a used 85 Stellar GLS (with rebuilt engine) in1992 . Everything worked except the r/r power window for $700. Ran it to work for 3 years (80,000kms) until rust killed it. Never a powerhouse it always made me laugh when with more than 2 people in the car the car would go into passing gear when the A/C kicked in !!!
Thanks, Leonard for commenting, I love these personal experiences which are shared . I always liked the look of the Stellar from a styling perspective, even though underneath it was a relatively rudimentary Ford Cortina floor panel.
Morris Marina-ish & Italian-inspired design with engines sourced by Mitsubishi's parts bin, most probably engines that were considered feeble in power and not economical enough for the increasingly penny-pinching Japanese and Europeans. But whatever happened and whatever reviews the car had, it was a good baby step for Hyundai Group's motor manufacturing.
Thanks to Brits and Italians
@jyy9624 And also South Korea's economic policies during 1970s. Very interesting mix of capitalist and govt-controlled approaches. That's how Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo got to build and export cars.
@izzatfauzimustafa6535 very interesting and not allowed unless need to build up $ quickly so not burden
Amazing piece of automotive history, look at Hyundai now (; and were is the British car industry after strikes and abysmal management?
Totally agree and the irony that a British team set it up and used British equipment!
WElp, we had the Pony here in Canada.
I was amazed how well it sold, must’ve been right car, right price, right time!
I bought a 15 month old Pony. The gearbox was good although the car as a whole wasn't too exciting. I sold it after I had an accident.
Guigiaro styled the DeLorean DMC-12
Isuzu Impulse also - peer of Bertone Pinninfarina
The Pony is what the Marina could and should have been, a simple car but with Italian styling (something rejected by BL) and contemporary front end suspension rather than the 1940s Marina front end, having rejected the adoption of struts in the belief they coukd use Minor tooling, only to find the tooling needed replacing anyway.
@@grahamariss2111 many thanks for commenting . I totally agree Graham, and that’s what my research picked up that George simply wanted to refine the concept of the last guy he was involved with with Austin Morris, the Marina. Weather project was probably starved of investment and with political in fighting this clean sheet of paper allowed him the scope to achieve something that was less compromised.
Korea made an oil-burning Chevette. Maybe the US made a Lucas-free Marina?
🤣brilliant comment!
Sedan???
Sedan/saloon.. I think across the world sedan term for a three box saloon is better recognised
A friend of mine owned the first generation. It was indeed based on the Mitsubishi Lancer. Let's say Hyundai's beginnings were humble. The Mitsubishi Lancer was way better made. The Pony had rattles, rust and small defects everywhere, hard plastics of very low quality. The engine and gearbox were good, though. The next gen Pony (Excel) was based on the Mitsubishi Colt and was leaps and bounds better. My father had one (1.5 GL manual) and so i could compare them.
Thanks for your comments, I’ve only seen the first generation cars in the pictures. I don’t think any of them survive in the UK. I suspect the price was the biggest selling point as you would probably choose a Japanese brand first, but they will be coming a bit expensive by this time.
Did everyone who submitted the pony name receive a car, or did they narrow it down to one winner?
Probably just one winner, the other names were abysmal 😉
in Canada it was a piece of junk...equipped with contact point ignition(ancient technology)..and a camshaft pin that fell out and rendered the thing useless..almost as bad as an imported Vauxhall Viva..a guy said he drove it off the lot brand new...shifted into 2nd and the gear shifter broke off in his hand...my 1970 required nightly repairs...364 days a year...the good old junkers
Business structures in the east are not what they are in the west. Every Eastern car manufacturer suffers from "cross pollination" from many sources.
Hyundai really got their start building Fords, then there was the hook-up with Mitsubishi, then finally they brought in the "winning ways" of British Leland. From the frying pan and into the fire.
In Canada, Hyundai Pony cars, were the cheapest of the cheap, sold out of any 2 bit operation, and had a life expectancy of maybe 3 years. The usefulness of these cars depended on 2 things, your ability to tinker, and the number of junk ones you owned for parts. After the British influence disappeared they were pretty close to 3rd run Mitsubishi cars. First run Mitsubishi cars = current production cars branded "Mitsubishi", second run Mitsubishi cars = cars and parts re-branded Chrysler, third run Mitsubishi = cars and parts re-branded Hyundai. As Chrysler has pretty well backed away from Mitsubishi to be replaced by Hyundai. At one point you could buy a 3 litre Mitsubishi car, buy the same motor in a Dodge mini-van, and buy the same motor in a Hyundai/Kia (yes, Hyundai bought Kia).
Currently Hyundai/Kia cars are sold in Canada, they seem to have a bit more than their share of catastrophic failures which are handled (if a bit slowly) under warranty. Every time I get to thinking I should buy one I have to remind myself that I know better than to do that.
I had a friend bought one brand new in the mid eighties, it was awful. They’ve come on a long way since then.
Indeed, having a new car for the price of a used one must have played a huge role in their initial success… as you say, just look at where they are today.
Why dump Ford and replace it with BL? Costs I guess.
Polonez Pony
I never realised the Pony was based on the Marina. We missed a trick there. Like the Nissan Micra being based on the Metro. I owned both and the engines were very similar, even down to being 998cc.
Micra was nothing to do with Metro FFS
Nissan/Datsun engines did have BMC ancestry but way back long long before the Metro was even thought off
The Marina was a significantly larger vehicle. The Hyundai Pony started with Mitsubishi A50 Galant, but the government program "encouraged" Hyundai to develop it into a distinct model. By Turnbull's own testimony, Pony was 80% complete when he arrived.
Just watch out for flying pianos! Marina,, really
Here in Oz we got the hubcaps a couple of years, early 80s, before the cars,, test the market! No rear drive but front drive with Mitsi engines. Boring and barely functional cars. Solid enough and ok transport. I even still have a stock of new parts for them.
The X2 Hyundia was the one that sold quite well. Better car, nicer to drive but still Korean, things like blurry mirrors etcand loose trim let it down. They were the best of the Korean nasties. Daewoo, Kia and Hyundia.
The later Accent has never been as popular
The later twin cam ones have a racing series for near stock ones. Been going over a decade now.
I thought Mitsubishi helped them with their Pony. Early Pony and the Sonata are pure junk. They made them in Quebec in the early eighties to get into the Canadian market for North American segment.
Yes Mitsubishi power units and some other components
Interesting how a mere opinion can be presented as a universal fact by know-it-alls. At least an apology was made but that comes out as a sneer as well.
Pony is big JUNK 😊
It’s the typical view of a Brit, heavily exaggerating their role in the process to feed their national pride. And judging by the comments you can already see to what nonsense it leads to. Shame. I prefer the facts.
We have to take the credit where we can😉 but in fairness in all the research I did the role of George Turnbull was significant in getting it off the ground quickly and having a clean sheet of paper to start with was helpful. Clearly there was huge commitment and funding from Korea to make it work and that’s why their industry continues to flourish.
@ It was significant because the research you did was just in English, and British (car) media tends to exaggerate their role heavily. Send two engineers to a manufacturer and they think they developed the entire car and couldn’t have done it without the Brits. Nationalism aside and the story becomes a lot more balanced.
Nice to see my old Pony in the video though. I bet Hyundai gave permission for using those clips :)
I think it was actually five engineers plus George Turnbull www.aronline.co.uk/opinion/george-turnbull-30-years-on/ perhaps there was some undocumented Dutch assistance also? All clips correctly credited to the source by the way.
The pony was a piece of shit. I had no idea of the UK connection. That explains a lot.
😂
Never got the horrible Hyundai Pony in Australia we did get the Australian made Morris Marina even put a 6 cylinder engine in the Marina to against the Japanese cars which were starting to get a foot hold in Australia because they were more reliable than the British cars and some are going well were others are failing all over the world . I don't like Hyundai's or Kias because of there dreadful reputation for there endless recalls and there spontaneously combusting yes they catch fire in Australia which is ehy l would never buy any vehicle that has any reputation of catching on fire and the Hyundai Pony based on an awful Morris Marina why so thats why Hyundais are rubbish they were built lije a Morris Marina well were is Morris Austin Hillman Humber Sunbeam ect now gone why they made rubbish cars there are plenty of Hyundais and Kias sold in Australia but the biggest selling btand for the past 26 years is Toyota of course and l can see why they are the best at building cars apart from Lexus Mazda Suzuki and Honda and we own a 2017 Suzuki Baleno and a 1997 Toyota Hilux
Baleno made in india😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
WTF would they want to build Marinas FFS. One of the most universally loathed cars in tye universe? Just askin
To be fair George Turnbull wanted to ‘improve’ on the Marina as it was the last car he’d been involved with, many people would agree that was worthwhile. In my youth I bought a Marina thinking they were as undervalued bargain… I soon wised up that they weren’t when the petrol tank split and the jack went through the floor….
@Lot76CARS if the Marina was the best car he'd ever been involved with, then perhaps he should quietly shuffle off
🤣
The Pony WAS NOT an improvement on the Marina, NO WAY!!!
Well, everything single carmaking company after World War 2 had to start somewhere by making cars with partially inferior component but having engines and gearbox that could at least be worthy enough to be used as refurbished spare parts once the production period is over.
Guigiaro couldn't design a fart, sorry but this Pony was an awkwardly styled brick in comparison to the Marina! Italian design is so overrated!
Still more recognizable than Michelotti, Bertone, Ghia or Touring…
I like the Marina but Guigiaro is an absolute master at car design. I don't think he's designed a single car that I didn't like.
Well that's YOUR opinion and as everyone is entitled to have one, you are aswell. The little sh!tbox Marina was basically a rehashed MkII Cortina, as those two were designed by the same guy. Roy Haynes.
Giugiaro however, did some masterpieces. Mk1 Golf, Lancia Delta, S1 Lotus Esprit, VW Scirocco, BMW M1 just to name a few.
And some farts. (Cash restrained sensible shoes econoboxes ) The pony, Daewoo Matiz, '05 Croma, Yougo, I'll stop the list there or I'll be sick all over my phone.