Dave the Diver looks simple. It feels like it, too. But the sales numbers scream otherwise.
Six million copies sold. Ten days to hit a million. This pixelated fishing sim isn’t just a game; it’s a cultural moment.
Now Dave has ventured out of the water. The latest DLC, In the Jungle, drops the diver into thick vegetation. And guess what vehicle hauls his gear around? A battered red 1976 Hyundai pickup.
Not the flashy EV concept from Gran Turismo 5. Not the high-tech Santa Cruz. A dusty old Pony.
Automakers and gaming have danced before. Usually it involves hyper-realistic physics and screaming engines. Hyundai’s N division once cooked up a hydrogen racer purely for Gran Turismo. This time though? They lent a rusted truck to a guy who fights belugas with a spear gun.
Why the Pony? You need to get the vibe of the game.
Daytime means spearfishing. Nighttime means running a chaotic sushi bar. It’s part simulator, part Duck Hunt. Fast-paced. Hilarious. A bit scary if you meet the wrong fish. The charm isn’t in realism. It’s in the absurdity.
The Hyundai Pony fits that absurdity perfectly.
The Pony isn’t just a car; it’s a monument to starting from zero and ending up everywhere.
Launched in the winter of 1985, the Pony became South Korea’s first mass-produced domestic car. The factory went from empty lot to profit in less than twelve months. Incredible.
In Korea, it’s iconic. People treat it with the same reverence Germans give the VW Beetle or Frenchies do with the Citroën 2CV in. Small. Simple. Friendly face. Utility-first.
Export to North America told a different story. Specifically Canada, in the late eighties.
Here’s the rub: it was a decent 1970s sedan or truck. Comparable to a Mazda GLC. But put it next to a Honda Civic from 1985 and the flaws showed up. Rear-wheel drive. Underpowered. Prone to rusting into gravel. Sales spiked then crashed as cars fell apart. Backlash followed.
In Korea? Pure nostalgia.
In the DLC, the Pony belongs to a villager. You can ride it to fast-travel points. Or you can use it in a chase sequence where you’re fleeing a furious wild boar. Want a static display model for your base? Earn the villagers’ trust first. They’re grumpy. The car helps bridge the gap.
It makes you wonder.
Do you really want to haul scuba gear in a 1970s Korean truck? Maybe not. But the romance is there.
Hyundai’s current answer to the pickup market is the Santa Cruz. Cute. Compact. Also? It’s being discontinued after this model year. No obvious replacement on the horizon.
Yet fans keep rendering ideas. An Ioniq 5 body. Back hatch removed. Bed welded in.
Seems logical for an EV. Maybe too logical.
Perhaps Hyundai should look back instead of forward. Another GT crossover. Just let people drive the Pony again.
Dave would probably say yes. He likes things that don’t fall apart under pressure. The Pony didn’t last forever either.
