In July 2022, we witnessed the unveiling of a spectacular Hyundai concept that paid tribute to the Pony Coupe. To our surprise, South Korea’s Money Today published an article earlier this month in which it speculated a production version would follow. In fact, the report even included a when and where: May 27 in Seoul. We were cautious when the “news” made the headlines, and sadly, it turns out we had a good reason because it’s not happening.
Local publication Wikitree contacted Hyundai, which refuted the rumor by saying there aren’t any plans to put the N Vision 74 into production. The automaker also denied intentions to organize a “Pony Day” event during which the road-going version had been rumored to debut. Spokesperson Derek Joyce told Carscoops that last year’s concept will remain a one-off affair. We’ve also reached out to Hyundai and we will update once we hear back.
If there is a silver lining in all of this, it’s that Hyundai does intend to unveil a modern-day interpretation of the original Pony Coupe from 1974. It wouldn’t be the first old car to get a revival as the road-going Pony from the 1970s, South Korea’s first mass-produced car, got an EV makeover in April 2021. Several months later, as part of the same Heritage Series, the first-gen Grandeur received an electric reboot. Much like those two concepts, the 2023 Pony Coupe is going to be a one-off affair.
An N Vision 74 people could buy would’ve been the dedicated N model that Hyundai has been talking about for years. Those mid-engined Veloster N concepts sadly never materialized into a production sports car, and we’re beginning to wonder whether it’s still feasible with a combustion engine.
In the meantime, the N division is gearing up to unveil the Ioniq 5 N, so don’t be too surprised if the ship has already sailed for a hot ICE model. The high-performance electric crossover has been confirmed to show up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in mid-July.
