The Hyundai Porter is the small cab-over pickup truck Hyundai has produced since 1977, and it is also sold abroad as the Hyundai H-100. It has gone through four generations on three quite different bases – a Ford Transit chassis, a licensed Mitsubishi Delica and, from 1996, the Hyundai Grace – and in recent years it has become the best-selling vehicle in South Korea.
Hyundai Porter at a glance
| Maker | Hyundai Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Production | since 1977 |
| Also sold as | Hyundai H-100, H150 in the Netherlands, Hyundai Bakkie, Inokom Lorimas, Hyundai Shehzore |
| First generation | 1977–1981, launched as the Hyundai HD1000 |
| First engine | Perkins 4.108 diesel, 1,759 cc, 55 PS |
| Second generation | 1986–1996, based on the Mitsubishi Delica |
| Third generation | 1996–2004, New Porter based on the Grace |
| Fourth generation | 2004 to the present, the Porter II |
| Porter II engines | 2.6-litre D4BB diesel, 2.5-litre common-rail diesel |
| Korean sales | best-selling vehicle of 2016 |
| Electric version | Porter II EV, launched December 2019 |
History of the Hyundai Porter
The first generation arrived in March 1977 as the Hyundai HD1000, sold both as a truck and as a minibus with three, twelve or ambulance versions. The truck was badged Porter. It used the chassis of the first Ford Transit but wore locally developed angular bodywork that echoed Japanese commercial vehicles of the time, and it was powered by a 1,759 cc Perkins 4.108 diesel of 55 PS. The HD1000 was dropped in 1981 after a government rationalisation drive that left Hyundai allowed to build passenger cars only.
Hyundai revived the name in November 1986 with a second Porter, now a rebadged licensed second-generation Mitsubishi Delica (L300), offered as two and four-door trucks and three and four-door vans. The third Delica generation was built by Hyundai as the Grace, sold only as a van alongside the Porter truck range. An upgraded second-generation Porter brought round headlights, a steering wheel from the 1991 Sonata and the dashboard of the newer Grace, and was called H150 in the Netherlands. The 1993 truck could be had with a regular, extended or double cab, and used the Cyclone D4BX, a Hyundai-built version of Mitsubishi’s 2.5-litre 4D56.
The New Porter of March 1996 was based on the Grace and came as two and four-door trucks and three and four-door vans. It was sold as the Hyundai Bakkie in South Africa, the H150 in the Netherlands, the Inokom Lorimas in Malaysia and, from 1999, the Hyundai Shehzore in Pakistan.
The fourth generation, the Porter II, arrived in 2004 and is still in production. It offers single, extended and double cabs with 2,430 mm or 2,640 mm wheelbases, and two engines: a 2.6-litre D4BB diesel of 79 PS and a 2.5-litre common-rail turbodiesel of 130 PS. A facelift in January 2012 raised power to 133 hp, brought six-speed manual and five-speed automatic gearboxes, airbags and reversing sensors; four-wheel drive was added in August 2013, and tyre pressure monitoring, stability control and ABS became standard from 2015. In 2016 the Porter was the best-selling vehicle in Korea. A battery-electric version followed in December 2019 with a 58.8 kWh battery, 135 kW and a claimed 211 km of range.
Design and features
- Long life: in production, in one form or another, since 1977.
- Changing bases: Ford Transit chassis, Mitsubishi Delica and Hyundai Grace over four generations.
- Many markets, many names: H-100, H150, Bakkie, Lorimas and Shehzore.
- Electric option: the Porter II EV of 2019 with a 58.8 kWh battery.
Hyundai Porter versions
- HD1000 (1977–1981): the first generation, truck and minibus.
- Porter (1986–1996): Delica-based second generation, including the upgraded model.
- New Porter (1996–2004): Grace-based third generation.
- Porter II (2004–): the current truck, in single, extended and double cab.
- Porter II EV (2019–): the battery-electric version.
The Porter is sold abroad as the H-100 and sits below the Mighty. Its van relative was the Grace. More Hyundai models are in the Hyundai collection.
Video: Hyundai Porter 2 2014
Video by Автосалон Балчуг on YouTube.
Sources
- Hyundai Porter, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, local names, equipment, electric version
