• Tag Archives Concepts

  • Rare Rides: The 2003 Studebaker XUV Story, Part I

    Posted on by admin

    In part five of our six-part series on the Studebaker Avanti, I mentioned a concept the company debuted in the early 2000s, the XUV. A Big Tough Truck styled almost-just-like the crazy popular Hummer H2, consumers weren’t the only party to take notice. Let’s talk lawsuit.

    The XUV was introduced during the second to last iteration of Avanti Motors, during the time the firm was based in Georgia and building Camaro (then Mustang) bastardized versions of the Avanti. Seeking to capitalize on the SUV boom, the company trademarked the XUV (Xtreme Utility Vehicle) name, then debuted it early in 2003. With their announcement came the proclamation the XUV would begin production in the fall of 2003.

    First shown via a press photo that looked like a painting, the big yellow XUV was poised on rocks, ready to conquer the parking lot at the local Olive Garden. It declared the Avanti company was redefined, restored, and reinvented. The company followed up with a Studebaker display at the 2003 Chicago Auto Show. There, an orange XUV was shown amongst some rocks and parked next to the current Avanti. The date was February 10th.

    Word of the XUV’s debut spread to General Motors rather quickly, and the company had a lawsuit in process before the close of the month. GM’s charges were pretty direct: The XUV “knocked off and misappropriated the shape of the Hummer H2.” The lawyer who managed the suit on GM’s side stated “GM won’t allow others to profit from and capitalize upon the enormous popularity and goodwill developed in the Hummer H2 by copying its trade dress.” The claim makes perfect sense to those of you who remember just how hot the H2 was at the time.

    By early August 2003, the lawsuit was settled with a couple of very definite wins for GM. Avanti managed to keep itself out of any boiling water, but things were still hot. Avanti had agreed to a permanent injunction: The company was barred from producing any SUV similar to the Hummer H2.

    But they still planned to move forward with the XUV, undeterred by this legal action. Their truck would be different – very different – to the Hummer H2. And how? Women, of course. More on that in Part II.

    [Image: Avanti Motors]


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  • Hyundai Pony Heritage Becomes Design Studio Centerpiece

    Posted on by admin

    <img data-attachment-id="1758876" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece/hyundai-pony-heritage-ev-grille/" data-orig-file="https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-10.png" data-orig-size="980,553" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Hyundai Pony Heritage EV grille" data-image-description="

    Hyundai

    ” data-medium-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-6.png” data-large-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece.png” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1758876″ src=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece.png” alt width=”610″ height=”344″ srcset=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece.png 610w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-5.png 75w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-6.png 450w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-7.png 768w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-8.png 120w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-9.png 800w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-10.png 980w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

    While automotive enthusiasts have mixed opinions on the cultural clout of electric vehicles, there’s one aspect of electrification that’s undeniably cool — the resto-mod potential. Despite the historic appeal of driving around in vintage automobiles, they’re often painfully slow with ridiculously long braking distances and a lack of standard features many people living today would deem unacceptable. If you don’t believe me, select a random friend and ask them to parallel park a car without power steering or automatic transmission. Chuck in maintenance costs that are often well above average and it’s little wonder why so many Baby Boomers have been spending their retirement years outfitting the classic-era (or older) cars they grew up with with modern conveniences and components.

    But we’ve also started seeing manufacturers (and even some intrepid entrepreneurs) taking the foundational concepts of resto-modding and adding electric propulsion. Some executions even seem to be pushing the boundaries of what we could effectively call automotive restoration, like Hyundai’s Pony Heritage EV. 

    <img data-attachment-id="1758872" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece/hyundai-pony-heritage-ev-profile/" data-orig-file="https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-15.png" data-orig-size="980,474" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Hyundai Pony Heritage EV profile" data-image-description="

    Hyundai

    ” data-medium-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-12.png” data-large-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-1.png” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1758872″ src=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-1.png” alt width=”610″ height=”295″ srcset=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-1.png 610w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-11.png 75w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-12.png 450w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-13.png 768w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-14.png 120w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-15.png 980w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

    Based on a first-generation Hyundai Pony hatchback (which the United States never saw), the Heritage utilizes a mystery electric powertrain and some new hardware without mucking up the Giorgetto Giugiaro/Italdesign bodywork. The car itself is supposed to be a tribute to Mr. Giugiaro and the brand’s first official product as much as it is a chance to show off what the current Hyundai design department can do — and it appears to be successful on all fronts.

    Sadly, this makes it more of an art car (technically from the “Reflections in Motion” collection) than a conceptual design the manufacturer is mulling over for future production. The car has been completely gutted to make way for modern embellishments, with the interior getting a nearly complete overhaul. Rather than the traditional dashboard, Hyundai lead designer Hak Soo Ha directed staffers to install nixie tubes. While impractical, cathode displays could have made into production vehicles from the 1970s, assuming the manufacturer was unhinged enough to ignore their delicate nature.

    <img data-attachment-id="1758878" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece/hyundai-pony-heritage-ev-front/" data-orig-file="https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-21.png" data-orig-size="980,553" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Hyundai Pony Heritage EV front" data-image-description="

    Hyundai

    ” data-medium-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-17.png” data-large-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-2.png” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1758878″ src=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-2.png” alt width=”610″ height=”344″ srcset=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-2.png 610w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-16.png 75w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-17.png 450w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-18.png 768w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-19.png 120w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-20.png 800w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-21.png 980w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

    Other upgrades include revamped upholstery and trim pieces, LED tail and headlamps, fender-mounted cameras (instead of mirrors), and some new bumpers, door pulls, and wheels.

    According to Car & Driver, the Heritage EV has been serving as a focal point at one of Hyundai’s new design facilities in Busan, South Korea, and does double duty as a promotional tool for the Ioniq 5 — which was heavily inspired by the original Pony design that debuted at the 1974 Turin Motor Show. Despite the heavily doctored nature of the photographs, it’s a physical vehicle that can allegedly move under its own power.

    <img data-attachment-id="1758870" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece/hyundai-pony-heritage-ev-interior/" data-orig-file="https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-26.png" data-orig-size="974,781" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Hyundai Pony Heritage EV interior" data-image-description="

    Hyundai

    ” data-medium-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-23.png” data-large-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-3.png” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1758870″ src=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-3.png” alt width=”610″ height=”489″ srcset=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-3.png 610w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-22.png 75w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-23.png 436w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-24.png 768w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-25.png 120w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-26.png 974w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

    Hyundai has made it clear that there’s no plan to put this thing into production, noting that the Ioniq 5 is already filling the space that a modern, regulations-compliant Pony EV would occupy. But we hope it serves to inform future automobiles, as this seems like the natural evolution of the modern-retro aesthetic that’s been catering to baby boomers (and those with an affinity for the classics) for over two decades.

    While malaise era remakes don’t sound all that appetizing on paper, there’s a growing number of shoppers who grew up with (and now fetishize) digital displays or Speak & Spell vehicle notifications that are nearing their peak buying power. This old-meets-new, cyber vintage vehicle aesthetic could turn out to be wildly lucrative once more manufacturers realize there’s already a market for it.

    <img data-attachment-id="1758868" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece/hyundai-pony-heritage-ev-lights-on/" data-orig-file="https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-31.png" data-orig-size="980,509" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Hyundai Pony Heritage EV lights on" data-image-description="

    Hyundai

    ” data-medium-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-28.png” data-large-file=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-4.png” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1758868″ src=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-4.png” alt width=”610″ height=”317″ srcset=”https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-4.png 610w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-27.png 75w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-28.png 450w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-29.png 768w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-30.png 120w, https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-31.png 980w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>

    <img data-attachment-id="1758880" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece/1975-hyundai-pony/" data-orig-file="https://wooautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/hyundai-pony-heritage-becomes-design-studio-centerpiece-5.jpg" data-orig-size="957,656" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="1975 Hyundai Pony" data-image-description="

    Hyundai

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    [Image: Hyundai]


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