Excel starts Hyundai’s advance abroad
That was a huge accomplishment considering the country’s short automotive history.
The year was also an important one for Hyundai Motor. In February, the Korean automaker unveiled the Excel, and two months later the company took its first step into the global market when it launched its U.S. operation.
Hyundai Motor started developing the Excel under the project name “X Car” in 1981. The Excel was the first vehicle in Korea to apply a front-wheel drive system, unlike other vehicles that were rear-wheel drive.
It used the same Mitsubishi four-cylinder engine that was installed on the Hyundai Motor Pony, another popular vehicle made by the automaker.
The vehicle’s exterior was designed by the Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also designed the Pony. In fact, when Excel first came out it was called the Pony Excel, emphasizing the new vehicle’s improvements over the Pony.
Hyundai gave consumers a choice between a 1.3-liter and a 1.5-liter version of the Excel.
In 1986, the Excel became the first Hyundai Motor vehicle exported to the U.S. market.
The Korean automaker changed the car’s name from Pony Excel to Excel when it started selling the vehicle in the U.S. market.
True to its new name, the Excel did well in the U.S. market in its first year. That year, it was voted one of the 10 best products by Fortune magazine, and it was the best selling import vehicle with 160,000 units.
Its success was largely attributed to its affordable price of $4,995.
However, Hyundai Motor frequently faced quality control problems with the Excel. For instance, the engine space was too large for the engine’s size and the fuel economy was quite poor. Even the vehicle’s durability was questioned.
In the end, instead of helping Hyundai Motor improve its public image, the Excel damaged the automaker’s reputation.
In April 1989, the vehicle’s name was changed to New Excel. A year later, the vehicle was exported to Germany.
But in July 1994 production of the vehicle ended for good.
Hyundai Motor manufactured 1.56 million units of the various incarnations of Excel until it was discontinued.
By Lee Ho-jeong
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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