Cheap 80s hatchback dubbed ‘worst car in history' is making a dramatic return after four decades

The Sun

10-05-2025

A ONCE cheap British car is soon to make a come back after it has been dubbed the "worst car in history".
When it was first introduced back in the 1980s, the vehicle could be bought for a great bargain price of just £3,000.
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It was known for its low quality construction, safety concerns and reliability issues, making it the cheapest car between 1981 and 1991.
The car was known as the Zastava Yugo, a Yugoslavian branded car designed as a simple box shape by ItalDesign.
With Britain in the depths of recession around the time of its introduction, the car undercut rivals like Austin Metro and Ford Fiesta.
However, this affordability still did not enable the Yugo to become a successful or popular car for the long run.
Around 794,428 Yugos in total were produced, but only a fraction of these were sold in Britain.
And by 2018, just 19 remained on the road, according to official registrations data.
Author, Jason Vuic, subsequently entitled his book "The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History".
Return of the vehicle comes as part of a project by Serbian university professor, Dr Alekasandar Bjelić, who hopes to bring the car back to the market for 2027.
Dr Alekasandar Bjelić is linked to the automotive industry in Germany, and unveiled his 1:5-scale vision for what the Yugo could look like soon.
This new design for the Yugo was debuted at the Car Design Event 2025 in Munich that took place earlier in the month.
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It included stylish compact car features such as slim LED lights on the front and rear, along with large alloy wheels.
A fully working prototype of the new Yugo is expected to be shown at the Belgrade Expo in 2027.
On top of that, Bjelić said it would be initially sold as an "affordable" two-door model, adding that there is potential for "different body versions" to follow.
Affordability of the new Yugo is hoped to be facilitated by introducing the vehicle a petrol engine, and choice of manual or automatic gearboxes.
Yugo Automobile did add: "electrified versions are possible."
With this project, Yugo are teasing a "fun-to-drive car" that "meets all relevant safety standards," hinting it will use a shared platform borrowed from a "cooperation partner".