Hyundai Reportedly Plans to Build the N Vision 74 Concept As the New Pony

Hyundai may revive a decades-old nameplate for another retro-futuristic EV after all

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 bears some cool retro cues, but that could be the tip of the iceberg.

Last summer, Hyundai debuted the fantastically radical, ’80s-looking N Vision 74 Concept. “That looks pretty awesome,” we all said in the TFL office, but most doubted it would live to see the light of day as a production car. Well, it turns out we could be 100% wrong on that, as a new report from Korean outlet Money Today suggests Hyundai is readying this car for a production run as the Pony Coupe.

If you needed another incredibly on the nose hint, the automaker will supposedly debut the production car at a “Pony Day” event on May 27th. Now, if you aren’t steeped in Hyundai’s automotive lore, the name “Pony” may sound like a weird choice. It does have history, though, as the original pony debuted at the Turin Motor Show in 1974 (hence the concept’s name). It enjoyed a 15-year production run between 1975 and 1990, though one body style that didn’t see the light of day was a coupe.

Based on what we can currently gather from the N Vision 74 Concept, the production-spec Pony Coupe (if Hyundai does call it that) will use several components from existing vehicles. The Ioniq 5, for example, is a perfect platform for a coupe model with its 800-volt electrical architecture. That’s not all, though, as the concept also brought us a hydrogen fuel cell stack, creating a “hydrogen hybrid” vehicle. This packs a far larger 62.4-kWh T-shaped battery pack compared to your typical fuel cell car, though.

In all, Hyundai says the system can produce a total of 580 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, as well as a range of 370 miles and a charging time from 10% to 80% state-of-charge in 18 minutes. The so-called Hyundai Pony Coupe may also lay down a 0-60 time of around 4 seconds, making it one of the automaker’s quickest cars to-date. Having this level of grunt makes sense, since the concept at least falls under the N performance umbrella.

Will the production version pack a hydrogen power plant? Eh, we’re skeptical…

Bearing all that in mind, hydrogen infrastructure is, to put it generously, lacking in the U.S. So, if a new Hyundai Pony Coupe does make its way into the world, it may not be quite that exotic. The company could just adapt the Ioniq 5/Ioniq 6 into a coupe-ish lift-back that just uses a couple electric motors powered by a battery. Given the relative obscurity of the hydrogen-fueled Nexo, that seems like it would be the likely outcome, to my mind.

Toyota and Hyundai, in particular, are keen to keep developing hydrogen technology, however. We don’t know for sure, including whether this car’s actually coming at all, but hopefully we’ll have some more clarity on May 27.