Hyundai produced the Hyundai Pony, South Korea’s first mass-produced car developed domestically.
The Pony was introduced in 1975 and became a landmark in South Korea’s industrial development. Hyundai commissioned an international team that included designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, while British engineer George Turnbull helped with engineering and production development.
Although the Pony used components from Mitsubishi, its design and manufacturing represented a major step toward a South Korean passenger-car industry. It was offered in several body styles, including a four-door sedan, a hatchback and a pickup-derived version.
The Pony is sometimes described simply as Korea’s first car, but that wording is too broad because earlier vehicles had been assembled or produced in the country. Its significance was being the first mass-produced South Korean car developed as a domestic model. Hyundai later exported the Pony to markets outside Asia.