2021 Hyundai Pony

The Pony was Hyunadai’s first ever mass produced vehicle and, to celebrate this fact, they’ve given it a thoroughly contemporary overhaul with this 2021 Hyundai Pony design. For this, Hyundai have pinned the Ioniq 5’s design language onto its first production model, the Pony hatchback, and the end result is a lesson in retro-modern style design superiority.

This 2021 Hyundai Pony is a reimagined classic and it takes many of its styling cues from the Korean brand’s latest model, the Ioniq 5, which, ironically, actually used the Pony as the jump off point for its own design. So, you could say that this one has gone full circle. The Pony’s angular lines were first conceived by the iconic Italian designer, Giogetto Giugiario, who was also responsible for the likes of the Alfa Romeo Alfasud, the Lancia Delta and the original Lotus Esprit. As a result of this, Hyundai didn’t try to enhance the Pony’s panelling, and instead choose to augment its retro lines with contemporary technology. End result; awesomeness.

Signature Design, Modern Additions

This Pony tribute’s tail lights have a similar U-shaped signature to the Ioniq 5’s, but boast the same 8-bit graphics that were commonplace around the time of the car’s launch. The hatchback’s headlights have also been swapped out for more contemporary LED units, which mimic the design of the original lamps on one of Hyundai’s most memorable and best-loved vehicles.

It’s on the interior that the 2021 Hyundai Pony’s changes are more noticeable and profound. The regular dashboard has been heavily altered with a new digital instrument cluster that deploys eye-catching, illuminated vacuum tubes in place of the original car’s analogue gauges. In addition, there is a touch-sensitive panel which occupies the same space as the classic’s radio and heater controls to give this a pleasingly retro-modern aesthetic that we’re loving here at The Coolector.

Hyundai also gave the centre console a stylish upgrade, with a new wireless smartphone charger and an out of the ordinary, touch-sensitive H-gate gear selector. This latter design choice looks to be a knowing nod to the Pony’s past given the fact that this tribute vehicle is of the all-electric variety. Hyundai hasn’t actually confirmed what’s powering this excellent concept design, but the dial on the left-hand side of the dashboard (which is labelled “Pony Energy”) would appear to be a charge-level indicator. An amazing looking vehicle that we’d love to see rolling of Hyundai’s production line in the future.