Latest news with #Bjelić
Metro
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Metro
'Worst car in history' set for comeback with new makeover
A budget car dubbed the 'worst in history' is set to make a comeback. The Yugo, which hailed from the former Yugoslavia, became the butt of many jokes after it was released in the UK and the US in the 1980s. It cost around £3,000, making it the cheapest vehicle on the market at the time. But the car was known for its poor quality construction, lack of reliability and safety concerns and after an initial rush of customers, demand quickly fell. Britain imported the Yugo for just ten years, between 1981 and 1991 and production ceased entirely in 2008. A book has even been written about the vehicle's failure, called The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History . Now a Serbian university professor is hoping to bring the car back to life, and unveiled a 1:5 scale model version at the Car Design Event 2025 in Munich. Dr Alekasandar Bjelić, who owns the Yugo naming rights and is linked to the German automotive industry, hopes a fully working prototype will be showcased at Belgrade Expo 2027 and on the market soon after. Designed by fellow Serb, Darko Marčeta, the new Yugo has a retro 80s look but with slim LED lights front and back and large alloy wheels. Mr Bjelić said the car would initially be sold as an 'affordable' two-door model, with potential for 'different body versions' in the future. If plans are given the green light, it will launch with a petrol engine and a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. He hopes electric versions would also be possible at some point. Mr Bjelić has promised a 'fun-to-drive car' that 'meets all relevant safety standards'. The first Yugo was introduced to the UK market under the name Yugo 45 and offered cheaper alternative to rivals like the Ford Fiesta and Austin Metro. It came with three petrol options of different capacities, from from 903cc to 1,301cc, with a 'convertible' version also available. Four years after its UK debut, the Yugo was also launched in the US, where it was 'a punchline' within a year, according to Jason Vuic's book on the car. 'Within a year, it was a staple of late night comedy,' he wrote. It's reputation fell further in 1989 when 31-year-old Leslie Pluhar plunged off the Mackinac suspension bridge in Michigan in her Yugo. She had lost control of the car after being struck with 48mph winds – although her speeding at the time was said to be a contributing factor. In total, 794,428 Yugos were manufactured, although a fairly small percentage of those were sold in the UK. Official registrations show there were only 19 on UK roads by 2018, with reports only nine remain today. In 1997, one reached a rather strange end to its life when it was catapulted through the air. Cavalry officer Hew Kennedy and his friend Richard Barr built a replica 13th century catapult and sent the Yugo flying to showcase the equipment's slinging capacity. Commenting on the Yugo on Reddit, one previous and not so contented owner said: 'I owned one. It was cheap, and I thought, how bad can it be? 'I soon found out, the first time it rained, I found out it leaked badly. Bits of trim were always coming off. It frequently broke down with electrical faults. It is without doubt the worse car I have ever owned. 'There was a running joke, that the heated rear screen was there to keep your hands warm while pushing it.' Another wrote: 'My first car was a brand new 1988 Yugo (purchased in 1990). It was red with a sport stripe. 'My mom convinced me it was better to get a new car with a warranty, instead of something used. SHE WAS WRONG!!! Holy cow was that car a piece of s**t.' Not everyone hated their Yugo though it seems. 'Our Yugo must have been a unicorn, because I loved it,' wrote a third person. More Trending 'It was definitely the Walmart brand of car, super no-frills and had little … quirks. 'But it got the job done, it was easy on gas, there was room enough for the family. It finally died, and we couldn't get parts to repair it, which was a bummer. 'I'd gladly own one again. 'BTW, we had so much fun collecting all the joke names: a two-door is an I-Go, 4-door is a We-Go, a station wagon was a We-All-Go, etc. It was a giggle.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: European leaders arriving in Kyiv told to 'shove these peace plans' by Russia MORE: The buzzy European city crowned the world's most walkable — with £4 beers MORE: 'We just went wild': how children celebrated cakes and peace on VE Day
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Worst Car in History,' the Yugo, Is Making a Major Comeback
A car dubbed the "worst car in history" is making a comeback even though it hasn't been sold in the United States since the 1990s and went defunct globally about 17 years ago. A local library in the U.S. even has a blog post on its website devoted to the car, along with the headline, "The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History." "Poorly engineered, ugly, and cheap, it survived much longer as a punch line for comedians than it did as a vehicle on the roads," that post reads, calling it the "ultimate automotive failure." But now it has a retro feel that is According to Autopian, the car, called the Zastava Yugo, is an "Eastern European bargain-basement car that has advanced to cult status." The car, which is known for its boxy look, was launched 45 years ago "based on Fiat technology," the site reported. "It was a hit on the domestic market and was subsequently exported, where it earned quite a bit of respect," Autopian reported. But then it faded away, leaving the U.S. market completely in 1992 and going out of production globally in 2008, a victim, in part, of the Yugoslavia War, Autopian reported. But now the Yugo is coming back. On May 6, 2025, a scale model of the new Yugo was unveiled, according to Car Magazine. According to the company "traveled to the Car Design Event 2025 held in Munich, Germany, to show a 1:5-scale model of its upcoming econobox." The site proclaimed it "really cool." The design is not exactly like the Yugos of lore, but rather is a "logical continuation of its predecessor," reported. According to Car Magazine, the Yugo brand was purchased by Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Bjelić, who has "links to the automotive industry in Germany." The scale model introduced in Munich is the car that Bjelić intends "to put forward for production," the site reported. More details will come in September, and the brand may even produce an electric version, Car Magazine reported, although it's not clear which markets the new Yugos will be sold in or when.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Yugo Could Make a Comeback, Although Probably Not to America
The Yugo is coming back! Maybe. Eventually. Probably not to America, though. Progress so far includes trademark rights and sketches of what a modern Yugo hatchback might look like. Keeping the price low will again be the goal, and underpinnings are likely to be sourced from another manufacturer. Did the Yugo stick around long enough to go from being the butt of jokes to laughing together with its detractors? At least a few did, judging from the way low-mileage examples of these little underpowered cars fetch far more at auction than they cost new off the showroom floor. The Yugo was unapologetically inexpensive, a double-edged sword, and while it actually sold pretty well, by 1992 it was gone from the U.S. market. But get your punchlines ready, because the Yugo could be coming back. Properly, the original car's full name was the Zastava Yugo GV, Zastava being an automaker with a long history in the former Yugoslavia. GV was meant to stand for Good Value, and at $3990 to start with a $389 destination charge, the Yugo was at least the least expensive car you could buy. Looking around at the average price of new cars these days, perhaps a little of that cheap and cheerful spirit wouldn't go amiss. University Professor Doctor Aleksandar Bjelić certainly seems to think so, as he is the driving force behind the potential resurrection of Yugo. As first reported by The Autopian, he has acquired the rights and trademarks to the Yugo brand. Bjelić lives in Germany but has Serbian roots, and he recently hired Darko Marčeta, a Serbian designer, to sketch out what a new Yugo might look like. Details are slim, as development is still very much in the concept phase. However, the plan is to reveal a running prototype at the Belgrade Expo in 2027, and a model of the car at the end of this year. The original Yugo was based heavily on the Fiat 127, and Bjelić has indicated that this new car will have underpinnings sourced from another, as-yet-unnamed manufacturer. The obvious choice would be Fiat again, as the former Yugo factory did in fact build the late Fiat 500L. Low price will again be the goal here, so a new Yugo is likely to get a small combustion engine rather than an EV skateboard platform. As to whether thrifty U.S. buyers will be able to once again park something unintentionally hilarious in their driveways, that's unlikely. The Yugo's reputation was badly damaged by quality issues when it was new, and while there's certainly a cult following for them, there's probably not a business case to sell them to the general public. In Eastern Europe, however, the Yugo (called the Koral there) was really quite popular, closing out its production run with a respectable 800,000 cars built. A Serbian-built rival to something such as the Dacia Sandero could be quite successful, especially to those who remember the Zastava nameplate more fondly. To burnish this image, one of Yugo's first PR stunts is going to be driving several classic Zastava models from Kragujevac in Serbia all the way to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The 6300-mile route is basically the same followed by a group of five Zastava 101s that performed the trek in 1975, as a showcase for durability. If the modern expedition can pull it off, it'll be a shot in the arm for brand credibility. Meanwhile, the Nissan Versa is currently the least expensive new car sold in the United States. It comes standard with a five-speed manual transmission for just $18,330. Adjusted for inflation, the original Yugo's price tag is only slightly more than half that price. Then again, nobody jokes about why the Versa has a rear window heater (for the Yugo, it was to keep your hands warm while you push). You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
