I know they made this some years ago, but this “retro-modern” look could’ve been a huge success. Bringing back the Pony (maybe with a new name) as a 2-door and 4-door would have been awesome. They could’ve had basic models with around 185 hp and front-wheel drive. Then they could’ve added an N version with 225 hp and all-wheel drive or even rear-wheel drive. It could’ve been priced lower and maybe outperformed the GR86, Golf GTI, and Civic Si. Sure, the Elantra covers some of this, but this Pony looks way better. I’m curious what others think.
Hyundai knows what they’re doing. Do you realize how small the Pony is by today’s standards? Even the Accent was too small to sell well, and the Pony is even smaller.
Also, the Pony’s design wouldn’t pass modern crash tests.
> I know the Elantra already does some of this
Exactly. Why compete with themselves?
> it would sell like crazy
Nope, it would be a flop. The Tucson outsells the Sonata in the US more than 4:1. During the last year of the Accent, the Tucson outsold it 10:1.
People want SUVs. Enthusiasts like us are a tiny part of the market and don’t really matter.
@ElantraLOVEr2
I love the Sonata, but yeah, I’d bet it’s got the lowest sales in their lineup in the US now. The average person who might consider a Sonata will probably either go for the Elantra to save money or go for the Tucson/Santa Fe to get an SUV.
@StephieStephie
Actually, it’s not even in the top 5 lowest sales for 2022 (it’s number 6).
ElantraLOVEr2 said:
@StephieStephie
Actually, it’s not even in the top 5 lowest sales for 2022 (it’s number 6).
That’s only true if you include discontinued cars and the Nexo, which I think is only sold in California.
@StephieStephie
I actually considered that. The Venue, Santa Cruz, and Ioniq 5/6 are still for sale. Even ignoring the Nexo, the Sonata is still in the top 5 for lowest sales.
ElantraLOVEr2 said:
@StephieStephie
I actually considered that. The Venue, Santa Cruz, and Ioniq 5/6 are still for sale. Even ignoring the Nexo, the Sonata is still in the top 5 for lowest sales.
I’m really surprised that Santa Cruz sales are so low in the US. On paper, it seems perfect for someone who only occasionally needs to carry large things. Maybe people in that segment prefer the Maverick or just go for bigger trucks.
@StephieStephie
In my experience in the US, most people shopping for a truck think ‘bigger is better.’
@StephieStephie
I almost got a Santa Cruz in Canada, but ended up with a Frontier. The fully loaded Santa Cruz was only about $6k less than the Frontier. Also, the mileage difference wasn’t worth it, and I didn’t like the turbo. Honestly, it came down to price, expected reliability, and comfort.
@StephieStephie
I also looked at the Santa Cruz but didn’t like the colors. Black and white? No thanks. And the weird flat blue, greenish, beige color? Pass. How about some real blue or red?
@ElantraLOVEr2
Accent is an enthusiast’s car? You can make cars that meet safety standards and are still fun to drive.
No one asked Hyundai to stop making the Veloster N unless their numbers showed people preferred the Kona and Elantra N. No one’s buying the regular Yaris, and for the price of the GR Yaris, you can get something better and more comfortable.
@Barrack
> Accent is an enthusiast’s car?
It’s not. My point is the Accent sold poorly because of its size, and OP wants Hyundai to make something even smaller and target enthusiasts. It wouldn’t work.
> No one asked Hyundai to stop the Veloster N
Hyundai sold more than twice as many Elantra Ns last year as they did all Veloster models combined.
> No one’s buying the regular Yaris…
The GR Yaris isn’t available in the US. It’s a special car, made so they could put a 2-door Yaris in rally racing. If Toyota didn’t make it, they would’ve had to race a 4-door. Sales don’t matter for the GR Yaris.
@ElantraLOVEr2
That makes a lot of sense. I knew the GR Yaris was a bit of a passion project. Mr. Toyoda is a racer, and it made sense to him to at least do a limited production run. Makes you wonder why Hyundai didn’t make an AWD Accent like the other rally cars, instead of giving us too many options. An AWD Veloster N or Kona N would have made more sense.
@ElantraLOVEr2
Hyundai stopped making the Accent because sedans and hatchbacks aren’t popular anymore, and SUVs are in. I have a Venue, and it’s basically a lifted Accent hatch. It might look bigger, but I doubt it really is. I love small cars, though, and I’d definitely drive a Pony.
@Timber
You’re right about the Venue being a lifted Accent. Even though it’s the same car, the Venue sells a lot better. There’s a bit more trunk space and headroom in the Venue.
@ElantraLOVEr2
Those numbers are a bit depressing. I just hope cars stay popular enough that I never have to buy an SUV.
Barack said:
@ElantraLOVEr2
Those numbers are a bit depressing. I just hope cars stay popular enough that I never have to buy an SUV.
Sedans probably won’t completely disappear, but there are way fewer options than there were ten years ago, and it’ll likely get worse.
@ElantraLOVEr2
I get what you’re saying. I wasn’t specific enough. The original Pony is too small, but something the size of a Corolla or Golf would work. As for competing with themselves, I get it, but having more options is always good if they can afford it. VW has the Golf and Jetta, Chevy had the Cruze and Sonic, Honda has the Civic and Accord, and Toyota has the GR86, Corolla, and Camry. Let’s not even start with how many similar SUVs and crossovers they all have. It could be like the Fiesta to the Elantra’s Focus. I know adding another non-SUV isn’t the trend nowadays, but when I said it’d sell like crazy, I meant among enthusiasts, not compared to SUVs.
@DanStakes
You keep mentioning cars like the Fiesta, Focus, and Golf, which aren’t doing well.
VW sold only 10,000 Golfs in the US in 2023. That’s terrible.
There’s a reason those models, like the Focus and Cruze, were discontinued. They weren’t worth it, as much as I hate to say it.
> I meant in terms of the enthusiast market.
The enthusiast market doesn’t really matter to car companies. Sporty models cost even more to develop.
Basically, you’re asking Hyundai to bring back the Veloster (which only sold 2,000 units in its last year) with a retro look.
It wouldn’t sell any better. The hot hatch market is tiny. Even the best-selling one, the GTI, only sold 7,000 units in 2023.
And you keep bringing up the GR86. Toyota is only making 5,000 units for the US in 2025. The market is tiny.
The Elantra N is doing great for a sports car, but they still only sold 4,000 in 2023. Why would Hyundai spend billions to split that number up even more?
> It’d be a great “Fiesta” to the Elantra’s “Focus”
That was the Accent. And it got canceled because it didn’t sell.
@ElantraLOVEr2
While that all might be true, I don’t know—I haven’t looked up all the numbers. I will say that clearly the enthusiast market does mean something to car companies that can afford it, and Hyundai definitely can afford it. I’m just saying I think it could do well and compete in its category. It’d be exciting.