Hyundai recently revealed two restomods of important models from its past with electric powertrains.
Over the weekend, the automaker unveiled an EV concept based on the first-generation Grandeur. Launched in 1986, the Grandeur was Hyundai’s first attempt at a flagship luxury sedan, setting the stage for today’s Genesis luxury brand.
The Grandeur EV restomod retains most of the original car’s boxy styling, but with subtle tweaks to the grille, side moldings, exterior mirrors, and wheels. It also has the pixelated headlights and taillights that are a feature of Hyundai’s new Ioniq EV sub-brand.
Hyundai Pony Heritage Series concept
The interior gets a wide display screen that serves as both an instrument cluster and infotainment screen, plus a smaller vertical screen that seems to take the place of most analog controls. Another modern touch is ambient lighting in a bronze color chosen to reference vintage audio equipment, according to Hyundai,
The Grandeur joins the Hyundai Pony EV restomod unveiled in April. The original Pony debuted in 1975 as the first car designed in-house by Hyundai (the automaker manufactured the Ford Cortina under license prior to that), and served as the design inspiration for the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric crossover. Like the Grandeur, the Pony got an electric powertrain, subtle styling changes, and a modern screen-equipped interior.
Both restomods, which Hyundai calls its Heritage Series, help promote the upcoming Ioniq line of electric cars. The first will be the Ioniq 5, which is scheduled to launch in the United States before the end of this year. It will be followed in 2022 by the Ioniq 6, a sedan based on the Hyundai Prophecy concept. Hyundai will then launch an Ioniq 7 SUV in 2024, previewed by a concept scheduled to debut at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show.