Manufacturer Hyundai Assembly South Korea: Ulsan | Production 1985–2000 Class Subcompact car | |
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Also called Hyundai Pony
Hyundai Pony Excel (X1 hatchback in South Korea)
Hyundai Presto (X1 sedan in South Korea)
Mitsubishi Precis (Japan)
Hyundai X2 (UK) Body style 3/5-door hatchback
4-door sedan
3-door panel van | ||
The Hyundai Excel (Hangul:현대 엑셀), also known as the Hyundai Pony, Hyundai Presto, Mitsubishi Precis and Hyundai X2, is an automobile which was produced by Hyundai Motor Company from 1985 to 2000. It was the first front wheel drive car produced by the South Korean manufacturer. The Excel range replaced the rear wheel drive Hyundai Pony.
Contents
Background
As with the original 1974 Pony, the Excel was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Excel was available in 5-door hatchback and 4-door sedan models. The Excel was the first Hyundai car to be exported to the United States.
The Excel was available with either a manual or automatic transmission mated to a 4-cylinder engine aspirated by a carburetor or fuel injection system, depending on market and model year.
Originally, the Excel was supposed to be replaced by the Elantra in 1990, but ended up being sold for four more years until being replaced by the Hyundai Accent in 1994. From 1990, there was a coupe variant called the Hyundai Scoupe, which was replaced by the Hyundai Coupe in 1996.
Names
Some markets, including Europe, had the Excel branded as the Hyundai Pony, although it is not directly related to the early 1980s rear wheel drive Pony. In South Korea the hatchback version was known as Hyundai Pony Excel, and the sedan version was known as Hyundai Presto.
The Excel was also sold in the United States by Mitsubishi Motors from 1987 to 1994 as the badge engineered Mitsubishi Precis. Available as either a 3- or 5-door hatchback, the Precis remained in the Mitsubishi range as a "price leader," slotted below the Mirage until it was discontinued in 1992.
X1 (1985–1989)
The Excel was introduced as a replacement for the Hyundai Pony. In the United States it was the company's first and only model, but thanks to a price of $4,995 USD and being voted 'Best Product #10' by Fortune magazine, it set records for a first-year import by selling 168,882 units, helping push the company's cumulative production past one million by 1986. Similar sales success was replicated in Australia, where it was priced at A$9,990.
Versions available were:
North America
Australia
United Kingdom
X2 (1990–1995)
The second-generation Excel was given a facelift and slightly enlarged from 1990 onwards, while its engine adopted multi-point fuel injection, and a new 4-speed overdrive automatic transmission was offered. It was sold in CX, LX and CXL trim levels in South Korea. The South Korean (home market) range was:
The Excel was marketed in Eurasia as the Hyundai Pony or Pony X2 (X2 representing second generation). In the United Kingdom and some parts of Europe, versions available were:
However, some European markets did not get the 1.3 version and the range was:
From 1991, the 1.5 versions were badged 1.5i to denote fuel injection.
All models sold in North America had the 1.5-liter engine, with automatic transmission as a freestanding option for any model. The lineup available at U.S. Hyundai dealers was;
The 5 door model may have been available in Canada for a longer period and in a wider variety of trims. The Mitsubishi Precis came as a 3-door only, in trim levels equivalent to the base and GL Hyundai-branded cars.
The 1.3 model and the Mitsubishi Colt also share the same engine and gearbox.
Hyundai launched the Excel in Thailand in the early 1990s. The lineup consisted of: