To Excel in America: Hyundai's first car sold in the United States

In 1986, I was in the market for my first new car, and the inaugural Hyundai dealership in Newport News, Virginia, opened its first location in the old Center Ford dealership owned by Aunt Fran and Uncle Martin, where my parents bought their 1973 Ford LTD. This was also the dealership where my mother took me to see the all-new 1975 Granadas, and I fell in love with one of my favorite Fords. I was hoping we were trading our 1972 Comet for a Green Ghia coupe, but such was not the case, and the Comet lingered on until 1985.

I was leery of buying a Hyundai, not because I didn't like it after I test drove one, but because I wasn't sure if they were a fly-by-night company or not. I didn't want to be stuck with a car with no dealer or service network to back it up. Who would have thought that it would end up being one of the most respected and popular car companies worldwide? I had no idea that Hyundai sold $10.3 billion in cars, machinery, ships, construction equipment, and appliances in 1984, adding up to approximately 10 percent of South Korea's GNP. The company had been around since 1949.

I really wanted a Chevette and was ready to make a deal, but I was talked out of it by a family member when we went to look at the new selection at Merrimack Motors Chrysler-Plymouth in Hampton, Virginia. As with the Chevette, with its loyal and happy customers, the Excel would also put smiles on its owners' faces, and I remember seeing many early Excels on the road more than a decade after their debut.

Introduced to Americans in 1986, the Hyundai Excel—also sold as the Pony, Presto, X2, and Mitsubishi Precis in other global markets—was produced from 1985 to 2000. It was Hyundai's first front-wheel-drive car.

Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, the Excel was available as a three- or five-door hatchback and a four-door sedan, and was the first Hyundai to be exported to the United States. The Elantra was supposed to replace it in 1990, but sales were so good that the Excel stuck around for another decade, when it was finally replaced by the Accent.

The Excel shared its basic architecture with its contemporary, the Mitsubishi Mirage, was powered by a SOHC, 1.5-liter, 68-hp four-cylinder, and sat on a wheelbase of 93.7 inches. Transmission choices were a three-speed automatic, or four- or five-speed manual. The majority seemed to leave the lot painted charcoal gray or silver, although 90 percent of the advertisements featured Excels in resale red.

The base price was $4,995. Let that sink in for a minute. Fortune Magazine voted it the #10 Best Product of 1986. In the United States, almost 169,000 Excels found loving homes its first year, and worldwide, sales exceeded 1,000,000 units. Advertising focused a great deal on price, a strategy that historically didn't help sales because buyers usually associated low prices with cheap cars, but for Hyundai it worked. In its defense, the Excel offered many more standard features than a Henry J.

Car and Driver had the following to say about the Hyundai at introduction: "The Excel won't make your heart soar. But, at the same time, your sister could run it and not notice a thing, except that it's easy to drive and has nice colors inside. Hyundai is definitely selling commodity transportation… The factory says 68 horsepower. Zero to sixty mph takes just over sixteen seconds; 67 mph is the reading at the end of the quarter-mile, and the Excel will wind out to a top speed of 90 if you're patient."

Here are some examples of Hyundai's period ad copy:

"Show the world how much money you still have."

• "Our new 3-door looks like a million but costs $995,005 less. Keeping up appearances can be costly, but not with our new Excel 3-door hatchback. … On the inside, there's room for five and more standard features than any other car in its class. Like an electric rear window defroster, wall-to-wall carpeting, and a full-size Goodyear steel-belted spare tire. Under the hood, you'll find something very attractive, too. A 1.5 liter overhead-cam engine and front-wheel drive for reliable, economical performance."
• "Drive like the well-to-do and still be well off."
• "For the average price of a new car, you can get a Hyundai Excel and a spare. Since today's average new car costs well over $12,500, the new Hyundai Excel makes twice as much sense. [They] are reliable, have front-wheel drive and four-wheel independent suspension."
• "Excel from Hyundai. Cars that make sense."
• "The perfect little summer place. If you're looking for the perfect spot to spend the summer, but don't want to end up paying for it all winter, you've come to the right place."

As usual, I looked for available Hyundai Excels for this column. I found none in Europe or the Americas. However, I found a dozen in good shape for sale in Australia, and all were listed for less than the equivalent of $1,500. Each would make a great daily driver.

I wonder how much import fees from Australia are?