Hyundai Motor has prepared a special event to shed light on the brand’s heritage and herald an innovative vision for the future; Hyundai Reunion, which connects the past and future of the Hyundai Motor brand, was held in Italy where Hyundai Motor Company’s first concept car, the Pony Coupe, was unveiled. Global media and influencers paid attention to the event - especially to the Pony Coupe concept that returned after about 50 years - where the brand heritage and notable figures gathered.
Hyundai Reunion is a heritage brand platform that looks back on Hyundai Motor’s past and introduces the automaker’s unchanging vision and direction for the future. Hyundai planned this project to look back on three things - the patriotic spirit of Founding Chairman Ju-yung Chung, who wished for a better life for the people of his country by fostering automobiles as the country’s main export industry since unveiling the Pony, his humanistic philosophy, and the passion of his employees at the time to evolve as a global brand through the Pony Coupe.
The main event of Hyundai Reunion was definitely the Pony Coupe Concept. The automaker unveiled the recreated Pony Coupe Concept for the first time in nearly 50 years on this day at Lake Como, and it made a dazzling debut. Many paid attention to the Pony Coupe, which has been perfectly restored that once had been shown at the Turin Motor Show in Italy - with its wedge-shaped front end, sleek body proportions, and body perfected with geometric lines, making a futuristic design that seems to transcend time.
The Restored Pony Coupe was mentioned in a design talk show held in Korea last year. At that time, the company invited Giorgetto Giugiaro, who established Hyundai Motor’s early design, to Korea to talk about the company’s past, present, and its future. And at that time, a project was unveiled to highlight the brand’s heritage and to present possibilities for the future, and at the center of the project was the Pony Coupe Concept.
The Pony and the Pony Coupe Concept were Hyundai Motor’s first unique models, and they were the glory of the past and key players who opened new possibilities for the future. At the time, it was not mass-produced due to the global economic recession, but it has become a legacy that has provided design inspiration in various cases, including the high-performance hydrogen hybrid Rolling Lab ‘N Vision 74’. In addition, it not only achieves the democratization of mobility, but also remains a valuable experience for the company as a symbol of its bold challenge to expand globally. Giorgetto Giugiaro, who designed many early models of Hyundai, including the Pony, and his son Fabrizio Giugiaro, restored the Pony Coupe Concept, the beginning and symbol of Hyundai Motor Company’s heritage, to think of its meaning once again.
The Pony Coupe Concept and N Vision 74, perfected by Hyundai Motor’s ceaseless spirit of challenge, were unveiled together at Hyundai Reunion and shared a historic moment with everyone. The two vehicles that shined under the same concept were enough to heat up the scene just by standing there. Meanwhile, Hyundai exhibited at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to once again showcase the N Vision 74, which its heritage from the past and the cutting-edge technology consummated, in a place where the world pays attention. At the exhibition site where leading classic cars and splendid concept cars gather, it prepared to unveil its strong presence once again.
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, which started in 1929, is a sort of luxury motor show featuring elegant classic cars and concept cars with the vision of an automobile brand that has been unveiled for less than a year. As the place is not only for classic cars, but also for each brand’s iconic models to be showcased to the public for the first time, global car brands as well as car enthusiasts around the world pay attention to it.
The first Hyundai Reunion was held at Villa Pliniana in Lake Como. Villa Pliniana, which has been at Lake Como since 1573, is similar to the Pony Coupe Concept in that it is the most historic and magnificent villa in the neighborhood, as well as being reborn in 1840 after a time-consuming and detailed restoration.
After crossing Lake Como by boat, the Pony Coupe Concept was transported inside the villa by crane. It was done this way because of topographical issues, but it was also to reproduce the scene where vehicles were loaded onto a ship using a crane in the past when there was no ship exclusively for exporting vehicles. Hyundai Reunion retraced the history of Pony and the Pony Coupe Concept from the time of preparing the project.
At Hyundai Reunion, the Pony Coupe Concept representing the automaker’s past and the N Vision 74 foreshadowing its future were displayed side by side. A large number of current and former executives and employees of Hyundai Motor Group, including Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, attended the event. There were also designers and engineers who contributed to the development of the Pony Coupe Concept, including Giugiaro father and son, and the former president of Hyundai Motor Company Chung-Gu Lee. Sharing the story behind the development of the Pony Coupe, the brand’s challenging spirit, and its vision for the future made the event more interesting.
“Despite the poor industrial environment in the 1970s, my grandfather and Hyundai’s Founding Chairman Ju-yung Chung poured his heart and soul into rebuilding Korea’s economy and improving the lives of its people after the devastating Korean War. He finally realized his vision of making Korea a country capable of developing its own vehicles with perfection,” said Euisun Chung. “I express my sincere gratitude to everyone from both Italy and Korea who played a critical role in the success of Pony.”
“In the age of electrification, a key condition for Hyundai Motor to become a leader in future mobility will be our ability to remain faithful to the unshakable values we inherited,” said Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor. “Moving forward, through Hyundai Reunion and other heritage communication initiatives, we will continue to leverage our past as a unique vector for our future innovation.”
Global auto magazines such as 〈Top Gear〉, 〈Automotive News〉, and 〈MotorTrend〉 who attended Hyundai Reunion described the event as “a total experience of the Hyundai Motor brand” and “an interesting and impressive brand story delivered through Hyundai Motor’s key executives and the Giugiaro family”, then said, “the brand indeed has evolved,” and “definitely look forward to the next Hyundai Reunion.”
Through Hyundai Reunion, the automaker reinforced its brand heritage and presented its own direction amidst the strong flow of electrification. Above all, as the past figures who contributed to the development of the Pony Coupe Concept and the current leading figures of Hyundai Motor Company met, this event also well suited the brand goal - combining the heritage and its innovative spirit.
In the future, Hyundai Motor plans to continue Hyundai Reunion as a brand platform that can introduce its unique history and heritage. In the mobility industry, which is rapidly changing to electrification and self-driving, many are looking forward to the results of Hyundai Motor Company’s actions, which are continuing to take on challenges with constant innovation.
HMG Journal Operation Team
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