1990 HYUNDAI Scoupe 1.5i 5MT (84 HP)

Vehicle Overview

With an increasing demand for affordable coupe vehicles, Hyundai tried to offer a small coupe on the market, based on the second generation of the Excel.

In 1990, Hyundai was still far behind other carmakers. The Korean carmaker was still struggling to catch-up, but with Mitsubishi’s help, its rapid development started to be seen. It was like the magic car-company that rapidly increased its market share. The Scoupe was Hyundai’s idea to compete against vehicles such as the Honda Civic, Nissan Pulsar NX, or Toyota Tercel.

While the design lacked consistency, and the front of the car didn’t seem to match the rest of it, the Scoupe was a good testing bench for the Korean carmaker. Its boxy design with rounded edges was something new for its creative department. But the designers succeeded in hiding the C-pillar between the side and rear windows. In the rear, the wide taillights covered the quarter panels’ back and a part of the decklid.

Inside, the instrument cluster was tall, curved toward the driver, and wide. It covered the center stack as well. A large tachometer was placed on the left side of the panel, giving a sporty feeling to the driver. The car offered room for four, but there was room only for two in the back.

Under the hood, Hyundai installed a 1.5-liter engine from Mitsubishi. It was paired to a standard 5-speed manual transmission. After 1993, the carmaker improved the Scoupe and kept it in production until 1996.