It was midday, with me and my brother exhausted by the humid heat. It had been a morning of cleaning, painting, hammering; doing all we could to improve the dilapidated house. A huge task, the house was a husk of its former self, an unsurmountable mission reduced to making the property somehow ‘presentable’. We kept going, the brush in my hand feeling heavier with each stroke. I took a breath, and looked towards the main bedroom’s door, a yellowing poster of a red bikini girl was taped there. It was the only attractive sight in the forlorn house. And so, I would occasionally glance at her, when mom wasn’t around, trying to keep my mind from the grueling work at hand.
To ‘fix’ the rental house and make it somewhat ‘saleable’, that was the mission. Mom had rented the house, located in a lower class neighborhood, to the mistress’ family of a college professor. Mother had tired of the never-on-time rental payments, plus, her catholic upbringing had always been irked by the sinful nature of the tenant’s lives. (It’s a somewhat common occurrence in El Salvador, where a man of some means ends up having more than one family, the ‘official’ and the ‘unofficial’).
This particular ‘unofficial’ family seemed comprised of water buffalos rather than humans. In 7 years or so, broken disheveled doors, ruined and leaky ceilings, missing windows and piles of garbage were the unquestionable remnants of their passage through the house. How could people live like this? Still, in spite of what seemed an unachievable undertaking, my hands kept laboring. We had a goal in mind, a quest worth the pain… A new car. Yes, a new car! In this case, a 1986 Hyundai Pony Pickup. The sale of the house would provide the means after 6 years of regretful (embarrassing?) ownership of a 1978 Datsun F10.
The Pony, in all its brochure glory.
Yes, after 6 years or frozen import quotas, the Salvadorian government finally allowed limited ingress of new models. In spite of the ongoing civil war, us civilians, could again enjoy the hedonistic pleasures of new car ownership, if one could find the means to afford it. Not easy to do. The blockade had left the country littered with late 70’s Japanese vehicles, much depreciated by then. By the mid 80’s, the nation was a Japanese-iron-equivalent of what Cuba became for mid-50’s American cars. Late 70’s Cressidas, Coronas, Datsuns, Mitsubishis, Mazdas, kept running by the improvised skills of local mechanics, keeping the streets of El Salvador a frozen in time snapshot (it would remain so for years to come, not until the late 90’s did the landscape start to change thanks to grey market imports).
The announcement created a great stir in my mom’s mind. The plan formed in her head, an in one sweep move, she would rid herself of the maligned F10, while also solving her moral qualms; the mistress’ house would be put to sale. And what was available for purchase? Answering the call of the Salvadorian government, and in look for new markets, appeared Hyundai, one of few brands willing to sail the uncertain political environment of the time.
Chung Yu Jung, in later prosperous times.
Uncertain political environment is the most polite way of describing the upheavals in Asia during the 20th century. Every decade seemed to be the end of times as people knew it, from the collapse of centuries’ old empires, to warlord and guerrillas city states, to military oligarchs and communists all vying for power. In this uncertain environment, in the northern part of the soon-to-be-split house of Korea, a certain Chung Yu Jung was born, future founder of Hyundai.
Tragic eras bring about incredibly unlikely outcomes, opportunities that hardly occur in sedate times frozen in commodity. In times of collapse and endless needs, improbable success stories occur in ways that appear impossible looking in hindsight. And thus, by mix of persistence, shrewd business skills, and a great deal of luck, Mr. Jung managed to align the celestial bodies on his favor, somehow, and just about anyhow.
Seoul, mid 20th century.
Born in the most abject poverty, Mr. Jung pursued a ‘selfish’ desire of success from early on, breaking from family tradition, refusing to accept the peasant life his parents insisted on. After four unsuccessful attempts to flee home (at times swindled by traffickers, at others just caught up by his father, who insisted on him sticking to his family duties). In his final attempt, Mr. Jung got lucky, reaching Seoul (back then, Keijo), getting a clerk job at a local rice store. Knowledge is power, and little knowledge, in a place with barely any, is unbridled power. Gaining the trust of the rice store’s owner, he slowly climbed socially and economically, eventually managing the shop’s accounts.
As Asia collapsed on the turmoil of WWII and Korea subsequently appearing, Mr. Jung’s shrewd skills came into play. With the house of Korea splitting soon after, few things prove more fortuitous than being at the center of a nation’s rebuilding, especially when moved by competition. With North and South Korea taking bets on upping the other, each took their path with zeal, two houses at –economical- war.
Assemblying Cortinas was Hyundai’s way of getting into motor manufacture.
A slight digress; the Tycoons of Asia never get much recognition beyond their borders, with some put down by outsiders, claiming that they just played ‘catch-up’ with the West. Beyond their home countries, their personal histories don’t become as mythical, since they lack the claim to ‘invention’ and ‘innovation’. Still, just ‘catching up’ is easier said than done; as proof, the countless third world countries still playing ‘catch up’ to this day to no avail.
With armies placed in standstill, Mr. Jung and South Korea took to business in warrior like mode, not receding an inch from the get go. Creating Hyundai in 1947 as a construction enterprise, and acquiring a garage –later the birth of Hyundai Motors- around this time, Mr. Jung had his hands full creating a company, training employees, pursuing reconstruction contracts and keeping local inspectors at bay.
(Yes, local inspectors. There are quite a few rosy bios on Mr. Jung’s life on the web and in video -if one is willing to put up with the undiscernible accent-, but that said, while no major wrong doing on his part is ever mentioned, the company lacked permits to function, and was constantly hounded. Somehow, through persuasion –a very vague term- it is claimed, he managed to keep the company going).
The Pony, in final form, ready for the (3rd) World.
As the nation was rebuilt, in a brief couple of decades, Hyundai became the largest industrial corporation in Korea. By the early 70’s, a new quest in the expanding conglomerate, to create their own auto, and here the Pony appears. Preluding the international interconnected know-how of modern auto building, Hyundai’s board created the Pony by global means. With British engineering, Japanese hardware and Italian styling, the Pony made its debut in the late 70’s.
Rarely ever mentioned in Italdesign’s portfolio, the Pony still managed to standout in El Salvador’s roads when it made its introduction in the late 70’s, few years before the civil war erupted. San Salvador’s roads covered with brougham affected Japanese vehicles, Italdesign’s hand was felt in the Pony’s cleanness of purpose. Few vehicles in this regard stood out, little did I know that they were the product of the same hand: VW’s Golf, Alfa Romeo’s GTV, Hyundai’s Pony. They provided a bit of style and sophistication in a sea of utilitarian pickups and trucks, besides the hollow pretensions of upscale Japanese models.
El Boulevard del Ejército, San Salvador’s welcome highway from the airport in the mid 70’s, with the average traffic of the time.
And there we were, few years later, on the verge of purchasing one of these Italdesign derived vehicles. For some unfathomable reason, Hyundai was selling only two models, the Stellar (a luxury model with bloated Italdesign lines) and the Pony pickup. Updated with square lights and grille, the Pony looked very up to date, in spite of Hyundai’s designers hands mucking it up (just about the easiest design brief ever… adding square detailing on top of Giugiaro’s origami cues). Finally, after years of wait, we would drive home from the dealer, excited by a new purchase.
The 70’s shapes of all surrounding vehicles looked old fashioned and archaic as we drove through town. The gold metallic paint glistening under the tropical sun, my brother and I, looking carefully at the ‘futuristic’ plastic molded dashboard. The interior was yet again, another departure that Hyundai stylists took on the car. Nothing outstanding, but still… years ahead from all vehicles surrounding ours. Were the locals envious? I would like to think so!
The Pony’s updated grille, easiest design brief ever.
On the web, one encounters the Pony didn’t have a stellar reputation (that British upbringing?), something that didn’t reach Salvadorians’ ears. The car, in spite of Italdesign’s up-to-date clothing, had mechanicals that were pedestrian and well proven, though unrefined and behind Western technologies and customer expectations. Still, these qualities worked well in plot holed streets and rural roads of 3rd world nations, where engines rarely got pushed to the limit. Prior to the war, the Pony was a brisk seller, and the 86s left the lots in similar manner.
A point to make, it´s true, the car was an odd choice for a family of four, a small Korean pickup, with seating for three (be imaginative). However, with dad rarely being around, it was for most of the time, enough for my mother, with little brother and me riding on the small bench seat. The longitudinally mounted 1200cc moving the vehicle in calm manner, with mother at the wheel, never stressing the engine or the car’s dynamics. And in regards of reliability, never suffering any in the 2 and half years we owned the vehicle.
Photo taken 2 years ago, this Pony still seems ready to take a few passengers on its saddle.
It was only on few occasions that father got to be passenger, and then, it was my turn to ride in the back. Looked on hindsight, the idea is somehow mad, especially from the safety oriented view of the 2020s, and while I have no wish to go back in time and place my life casually at risk, the rides on the pickup’s bed were always enjoyable. At the time, being a teen, far from being able to drive, it was the closest to feeling speed and the elements, the surroundings speeding by. On a few memorable occasions my closest friend rode in the back with me. Him being a fan of the exploits of Don Quixote (no, I’m not making this up, it’s too absurd an invention) he would pull out a large ruler and swing it sword like while the car drove by, yelling at passersby nonsense chivalry phrases. The looks of the unsuspecting pedestrians were priceless.
Dad, who was never into cars, did appreciate the pickup to some degree, for it was the only time in his life that a vehicle we owned somehow applied to his job. A soil analyst by profession, on a few outings, the Pony, much to mother’s chagrin, made it to the countryside, to ride crop field dirt roads, in search of soil samples. Home was always littered with soil samples from around the country, the toil of my dad’s work, and the bane of existence for mother. These outings were my favorites, with me and my brother riding in the back, feeling the rear drive suspension (I assume there were some Cortina leftovers there, who would have imagined it could take the pain?) bounce and bump, pushing forth, and us keeping balance, looking at the countryside landscape.
The Pony’s interior, in all its molded plastic glory. Taken from the Web, mother would have never dared come close to an automatic.
One ride stands out though. Unable to reach home one night after work, dad asked mom to pick him up. It would be at night, 8pm or so. Dad’s office was 15 miles away from the capital, in a non-too-populated compound. At the time, the idea of riding outside the city, at night, was unsettling. The leftist guerrillas had a custom of shooting randomly at vehicles cross crossing the country, especially at night. Also, a few military outposts were in the way, which didn’t appease the mind either. My friend was visiting too –yes, Don Quixote- and somehow got into his head that he wanted to tag along. So, along we went, in the early solitary night, with mom and brother in the cabin, and us two in the back.
The drive was tense, as the city lights started to dwindle and the vehicles became increasingly sporadic. I have no idea how mother felt in the cabin (nerve-wracked I’m sure), while in the back, we exchanged our frustrations with the ongoing civil war, its unending nature, and the wish for free mobility. We passed the military outposts without event (the military had a habit to ask for hitchhikes on civilian pick-ups), and reached dad. As we headed back, with dad up front, my friend and I kept our conversation going, now on the classroom girls. Over our heads, I could see a clear starry night, the stars never looking quite as bright in the city. Eventually, slowly, we made it home.
The Pony, in Canadian mode.
Hyundai’s Pony gained our family’s trust and internationally, it became the cornerstone of its parent’s company growth. Somehow, in Canada, it became one of its biggest selling imports. This early success probably gave the company a wrong sense of security, launching in the US with the product barely changed. In spite of its early promising sales in the US market, the vehicles shortcomings put the whole enterprise at peril, quickly soiling the brand’s reputation and taking years to rectify. Still, the house of South Korea was bent on succeeding, and the company’s current offerings are proof of that. The late 90’s and early 2000’s were a mix of engineering investing, talent hiring, and aggressive assertive marketing. Mr. Jung died not long after the turn of the century, his company, an international success.
Mr. Jung, smiling at Hyundai’s success story.
In the last days of 1987, the Pony was put for sale and thus parted from our lives. Our own house was splitting, with mom tiring of the wild upheavals of El Salvador’s civil war (and really, can we blame her?), with dad not willing to move, my days in the nation would come to an end. There’s no memory in my head of the sale, too many things were changing in our lives to keep such a detail present. The idea was to move to the States, or back to Puerto Rico. Too young to understand what the move would mean for myself, I was between the grief of leaving my high school friends, and the excitement of seeing the world. On this last point, one thing in my head, kept appearing in recurring manner, wherever we moved… what would the automotive landscape be like?
More on the Pony and Hyundai:
I am enjoying your stories very much.
Look forward to the next one.
Interesting story, thank you. I didn’t know Hyundai made a pick up truck version of the Pony. I drove a Pony once, in the 80s. It was a humble car, providing basic, slow transportation, but without any serious dynamic flaws. I was used to vintage cars even then, and the car felt vintage, a full generation older than other brands of the day.
Yes, they were popular in Canada, briefly. I remember , in 1985 looking out the window of my Toronto office to the parking lot, 7 floors down and realizing that about 20% of the cars were Ponys. They sold well due to a low price and an impression that a Korean car (which were unknown at the time) somehow would have Japanese-like quality.
They didn’t. Ponys held up for about 2 years before they fell apart. When word got out about their self – destructive nature, Canadian sales came to a halt, almost overnight.
Very interesting! Can’t wait for your next installment…
Excellent story. It’s a fascinating insight into how humans are both the same everywhere yet have distinct cultural differences.
Well written, thank you .
I especially like the picture of Boulevard del Ejercito , it reminds me of Guatemala where I lived in ’76/’77 .
Sad that the first generation Hyundais were so weak, they had quite a bit of promise .
-Nate
When I was a kid I used to live in Senegal for a year, I actually took a Pony taxi to downtown Dakar once. It was quite basic, not much different from the KE70 Corolla taxis I was used to. It was already quite rusty, the salty ocean air wasn’t kind to cars. I remember a Chevy G20 with many rust holes in the roof, they cut most of it out and welded new steel in. Either way that was the only Pony I’ve ever seen and that will likely remain that way.
I work at a dealership now, I sometimes drive new Hyundai’s and Kia’s and I’m impressed with how well they’re built. South Korea has caught up with the west, even their music and series have a large international fanbase now, I wouldn’t have believed that a decade ago.
Makes me wonder what’s next, only time will tell.
Yo estoy en Guatemala y ahora mismo tengo un Hyundai Stellar del 85, y también tuvimos un pony y vaya que hay historia de estos autos en estas tierras.
You are a terrific writer and narrator. Wow. There’s a lot packed into this great and concise piece, and I enjoyed reading about the history of both Hyundai and El Salvador.
The tension in the night car ride with you in the back of the truck… the description of the ’70s Japanese cars in the country and the contrast your Pony pickup provided… Loved this.
As a quick side note, I did remember seeing first- and second-generation Hyundai Ponys and Stellars when I lived abroad (western Africa) in the mid-’80s, but I don’t remember ever having seen a Pony *pickup* before this article. At first, I thought I was going to be reading about a homemade special.
Looking forward to your next article.
A very interesting description of a country very different from mine. Very enjoyable! Living in Canada I am very familiar with the Hyundai Pony, but not the pickup. From 2005 to 2007 I spent quite a bit of time in Seoul for business. I expected to see lots of Ponys, but I only saw one and it was a pickup. I spent almost all my time in an upscale area of Seoul (Gangnam), so there might have been more in less privileged areas.
Near my apartment there was a Hyundai department store and it was extremely fancy. The Korean conglomerates (chaebol) have a remarkable range of businesses. There was a parking garage as part of the store and it had an automatic ticket dispensing machine at the entrance, however there was a female employee in uniform wearing white gloves who would take the ticket from the machine and hand it to the driver with a slight bow. It is a different world. I used to buy my groceries there, and there was an employee for each display. I wanted to buy some bananas so I started picking up some, when the lady (in uniform) came over and indicated that I had not chosen well. I held up 5 fingers and she chose 5 perfect bananas for me. It was a very odd experience.
I did see some extremely expensive cars, including a Ferrari Enzo driving in traffic. I also spotted what appeared to be a dealer for Wiesmann as it had 2 cars sitting in front. I pride myself on my knowledge of obscure cars, but I had to do some research to identify Wiesmann. (Sorry no photos).
Before reading this, I never realized that Hyundai made a Pony pickup. Thanks for the article, as well as the glimpse into El Salvador’s car market from the time — very interesting to read about.
And I agree with you that the 20th century Asian tycoons often get overlooked in modern business history – your observation about the challenges of “catching up” (nevermind surpassing, in many instances) is still very true.
I remember the Pony name being more prominent than Hyundai at the small dealership near my home where these were sold (NZ, 1980s). Easier to pronounce for English speakers, I guess. Was this true in other markets?
You have a most excellent touch in writing, and for content – the observation about Asian tycoons is but one example.
Hyundai deserves some kudos for sheer survival. The Pony was brought forth with a former BL executive’s assistance, indeed, the man who was in charge of Austin/Morris when those automotive pearls the Marina and Allegro were introduced. Despite this, it was something of a success.
We didn’t get Hyundais till ’86, and that catch-up you refer to – now with Mitsubishi assistance – was still being completed, as they weren’t very good cars (and it didn’t help that their distributor was a later-jailed crooked “tycoon”). But by the mid-90’s, perfectly acceptable, and today, excellent cars that are amongst the top-sellers.
Great story. you truly lived in a different world than I did at that time. Living in Florida as a teenager in the mid 80’s we would get quite a few Canadian tourists in the winter. My high school job a a stock boy at Kmart gathering up shopping carts allowed me to get up close and personal to such “Canadian exotica” as the Hyundai Pony and Hyundai Stellar.
Interesting story from a country whose car culture I knew nothing about. I knew the Pony from being in Canada in the ’80s where these were everywhere, but only in 4 door hatchback form I think – don’t recall a coupe, definitely not a pickup.
The interior shot is from the later FWD Excel (called Pony or Pony Excel in some markets), not the RWD Pony pickup
You’re absolutely right sir. It’s fixed now.