At the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show, Hyundai exhibited a prototype which was named the "Sports-looking Car" (SLC) concept.

[2] The drivetrain and underpinnings were largely identical to those of the contemporary Excel/Pony, albeit with marginally shorter gearing to improve acceleration and to give the car a somewhat sportier image.

[3] The Scoupe was introduced to the United States market for the 1991 model year at a base price of US$8,495 (equivalent to $19,000 in 2023), thousands less than comparable sporty coupes.

In the United States, additional changes came with the 1993 model year (July 1992),[2] when Scoupes got a facelift, including the current Hyundai stylized-"H" logo, new flush headlamps plus body-colored side moldings and redesigned front sheetmetal, taillights, and rear bumper.

[2] The Scoupe GT (LS Turbo in the USA) was Hyundai's first attempt at a sports car and featured South Korea's first domestically designed engine with a cast-iron block and crankshaft.

A special compact heatproof ceramic combustion chamber design with central spark plug location was incorporated to optimize engine efficiency.

[4] Rod Millen drove a modified Scoupe GT (Turbo) to victory in the Showroom Stock 2WD class at the 1992 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event.

[10] One facelifted white Scoupe has been preserved and is on display at the Hyundai Namyang Research Institute's R&D History Hall.