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The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Major car brand reveals dramatically redesigned hatchback – 30 years after it was pulled from sale
SKODA has shown off a radical, retro-futurist look for the classic Favorit hatchback - a beloved motor that ran from 1987 to 1995. The Volkswagen-owned marque says they've 'drawn inspiration from the brand's rich history to create a modern interpretation' of the little motor, which was once a regular on UK roads. Advertisement 4 The redesigned Skoda Favorit pays homage to its 1980s roots Credit: Skoda 4 Designer Ljudmil Slavov spent 120 hours crafting this updated classic, retaining the essence of the original with a sleek, modern twist Credit: Skoda 4 It features asymmetrical badging, slim LED lights, and ultra-simplistic four-spoke wheels Credit: Skoda 4 The original Favorit was a beloved hatchback that was once a common sight on UK roads with over 50,000 units sold Credit: Skoda Indeed, some 50,000 units sold in the UK in a six-year run, although a report from MSN found that just 232 were still on the road by December 2016 and were disappearing fast, according to a report by This re-design imagines the Favorit as a modern EV but still manages to capture the essence of the original - thanks to the handiwork of designer Ljudmil Slavov. Skoda says he spent some 120 hours of his own time to work on the project - with a view to retaining the feel of the 1980s hatchback. He said: 'From today's perspective, I think the Favorit was already a kind of Modern Solid. Advertisement Read more Motors News 'It was technically and visually a simple car meant for the general public.' He also wanted to attempt something that went against the grain on today's general look and feel. 'I wanted to update the original idea for today, when various SUVs are popular,' said Slavov. He added: 'I sketched many versions, searched for the ideal shape of the grille and headlights, tried different perspectives and consulted a lot with colleagues.' Advertisement Most read in Motors His design for the Favorit is clean and simple while containing some iconic elements of the original model, along with some interesting touches. These include an asymmetrical badge, a single door handle embedded into the body for both the front and rear, ultra-simplistic four-spoke wheels, illuminated 'Skoda' badging at the rear, as well as slim LED lights all round. Power-packed Skoda Octavia vRS is perfect combo of performance & practicality However, fans will have to use their imaginations for the car's interior, although the seats' headrests reference the open-centred items on the original Favorit. Slavov also designed a rally version - inspired by the Favorit that found success in the World Rally Championship's second-tier class in the early 1990s. Advertisement This version of the Favorit joins a series of reimaginings by Skoda's designers, which has recently shown new takes on the 1203 van, Voiturette A, Felica Cabriolet, 130RS and Popular Monte Carlo.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Major car brand reveals dramatically redesigned hatchback – 30 years after it was pulled from sale
'It was technically and visually a simple car meant for the general public" NEW LOOK Major car brand reveals dramatically redesigned hatchback – 30 years after it was pulled from sale SKODA has shown off a radical, retro-futurist look for the classic Favorit hatchback - a beloved motor that ran from 1987 to 1995. The Volkswagen-owned marque says they've 'drawn inspiration from the brand's rich history to create a modern interpretation' of the little motor, which was once a regular on UK roads. 4 The redesigned Skoda Favorit pays homage to its 1980s roots Credit: Skoda 4 Designer Ljudmil Slavov spent 120 hours crafting this updated classic, retaining the essence of the original with a sleek, modern twist Credit: Skoda 4 It features asymmetrical badging, slim LED lights, and ultra-simplistic four-spoke wheels Credit: Skoda 4 The original Favorit was a beloved hatchback that was once a common sight on UK roads with over 50,000 units sold Credit: Skoda Indeed, some 50,000 units sold in the UK in a six-year run, although a report from MSN found that just 232 were still on the road by December 2016 and were disappearing fast, according to a report by MSN. This re-design imagines the Favorit as a modern EV but still manages to capture the essence of the original - thanks to the handiwork of designer Ljudmil Slavov. Skoda says he spent some 120 hours of his own time to work on the project - with a view to retaining the feel of the 1980s hatchback. He said: 'From today's perspective, I think the Favorit was already a kind of Modern Solid. 'It was technically and visually a simple car meant for the general public.' He also wanted to attempt something that went against the grain on today's general look and feel. 'I wanted to update the original idea for today, when various SUVs are popular,' said Slavov. He added: 'I sketched many versions, searched for the ideal shape of the grille and headlights, tried different perspectives and consulted a lot with colleagues.' His design for the Favorit is clean and simple while containing some iconic elements of the original model, along with some interesting touches. These include an asymmetrical badge, a single door handle embedded into the body for both the front and rear, ultra-simplistic four-spoke wheels, illuminated 'Skoda' badging at the rear, as well as slim LED lights all round. Power-packed Skoda Octavia vRS is perfect combo of performance & practicality However, fans will have to use their imaginations for the car's interior, although the seats' headrests reference the open-centred items on the original Favorit. Slavov also designed a rally version - inspired by the Favorit that found success in the World Rally Championship's second-tier class in the early 1990s. This version of the Favorit joins a series of reimaginings by Skoda's designers, which has recently shown new takes on the 1203 van, Voiturette A, Felica Cabriolet, 130RS and Popular Monte Carlo.
National Observer
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- National Observer
Volkswagen's EV battery-maker charges ahead with $7 billion gigafactory as rivals' plans stall
Volkswagen-owned EV battery manufacturer PowerCo is 'confident' the state-of-the-art gigafactory it is building in southern Ontario will move into production in 2027, despite market headwinds that have led the province's five other auto majors to pull back from multi-billion-dollar sector investments over the past year. PowerCo, which has a $7 billion battery plant under construction in St, Thomas, credited a flexible technology manufacturing strategy with helping it weather regional sector uncertainties in Canada created by the combination of a slow-down in EV demand and the impact of US auto sector tariffs. Earlier this week, Honda Motors became the latest international automaker to pump the brakes on its EV supply chain development plans in Ontario, blaming "changing conditions' for the postponement of its $15 billion investment in the province. The decision adds to the mounting woes faced by Canada's EV manufacturing ambitions, which have already encountered setbacks with Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and Toyota having paused or shelved factory construction plans, leaving the government's $100 billion strategy in limbo. 'Different companies will have different strategies for the markets and plants they serve. For PowerCo, Gigafactory St. Thomas is a strategic, long-term investment with strong fundamentals,' Tegan Versolatto, PowerCo's Canada spokesperson, told Canada's National Observer. She said the company remained 'on track' to start battery manufacturing in 2027, followed by a ramp-up of commercial production if there was market demand. Verolatto noted that key infrastructure work on the factory site, including a rail spur and substation, is 'well underway.' 'Technology agnostic' battery cell PowerCo's batteries are engineered around what the company calls a "unified cell' — a design that is not limited to current battery cell chemistries like lithium-ion — that would be produced in a standardized factory to reduce costs. 'Different companies will have different strategies for the markets and plants they serve. For PowerCo, Gigafactory St. Thomas is a strategic, long-term investment with strong fundamentals,' Tegan Versolatto, PowerCo's Canada spokesperson 'Our product and production is as simple as possible and at the same time highly flexible. This enables us to react to potential market changes and always have the right product in place,' Versolatto said. All PowerCo battery plants — along with St. Thomas, in Salzgitter, Germany, and Valencia, Spain — will produce the company's cell design, she added. 'That makes our global production network highly flexible and compatible to all scenarios. This enables us to react to potential market changes and always have the right product in place.' Between October 2021 and April 2024, a total of $46.1 billion in investments across the Canadian EV supply chain was announced by automakers including Honda, Volkswagen, GM and Ford, with a further $52.5 billion in support coming from federal and provincial coffers, according to Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer, who is responsible for providing economic and financial analysis to the government. But dark clouds have gathered for months over the long-term future of auto manufacturing in Ontario as the Canada-US trade war has dragged on. Auto plant lay-offs and closures Stellantis sent home 3,000 workers after closing its Windsor, Ont. assembly plant where it manufactures Chrysler Pacifica minivans and electric Dodge Charger pony cars — and also temporarily laid off 900 employees at its US facilities, while General Motors shuttered its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ont., home to its Brightdrop Zevo electric delivery van, leaving 500 employees out of work. A high-profile EV battery gigafactory being built in Quebec by technology developer Northvolt was mothballed in March when its Swedish parent company filed for bankruptcy. More bad news came this week with data from StatsCan. in the last year, with 12,347 new zero emission vehicles sold in March 2025, compared to some 22,390 in the same month in 2024. During the federal election campaign, Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged a $2 billion fund to develop an 'all-in-Canada' auto supply chain. In 2023, Canada imported $2.3 billion in EVs and plug-in hybrids from China. The longer-term outlook for EVs in Canada looks brighter. Statista, a data provider, is forecasting the country's market will still expand to be worth over $11.5 billion in 2025 and grow at almost 10 per cent a year to $17 billion by 2029, by which time almost 250,000 EVs will be on Canadian roads. Newly appointed federal Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly said during a press scrum yesterday that she aimed to have 'good conversations with [all six automakers] before the end of the week' to discuss their future EV market plans in the country.
TimesLIVE
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Audi F1 project boss Baker leaves by mutual agreement
Former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto is head of the overall project with Jonathan Wheatley, who joined Swiss-based Sauber in April from Red Bull, leading the race operations as team principal. Sauber, last in the constructors' standings after six races, are becoming the Audi factory team next season when the sport also starts a new engine era. Audi's engines are being built in Bavaria but Sauber/Audi are also setting up an engineering base in Britain. "We would like to thank Adam Baker for his commitment over the past years," said Gernot Doellner, chair of the Volkswagen-owned brand. "He played a decisive role in shaping the overall strategic concept for the entry of Audi into Formula One and got the development of the power unit in Neuburg off the ground. "With Christian Foyer, we are bringing a proven expert in process structures in F1 powertrain development into the project. "His experience will help ensure the synergistic cooperation and necessary speed on the journey we have embarked on regarding the debut." Baker was a veteran of the former BMW Sauber team, a project that soured and led to BMW's departure in 2009.
Straits Times
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Audi F1 project boss Baker leaves by mutual agreement
Chief executive Adam Baker is leaving the Audi Formula One project by mutual agreement with Christian Foyer taking over his duties on the engine side, the future factory team said on Monday. Foyer has joined the management board of Audi Formula Racing, the entity responsible for the hybrid powertrain, in the new role of chief operating officer. Baker's role has been eliminated. Former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto is head of the overall project with Jonathan Wheatley, who joined Swiss-based Sauber in April from Red Bull, leading the race operations as team principal. Sauber, last in the constructors' standings after six races, are becoming the Audi factory team next season when the sport also starts a new engine era. Audi's engines are being built in Bavaria but Sauber/Audi are also setting up an engineering base in Britain. "We would like to thank Adam Baker for his commitment over the past years," said Gernot Doellner, chairman of the Volkswagen-owned brand, in a statement. "He played a decisive role in shaping the overall strategic concept for the entry of Audi into Formula One and got the development of the power unit in Neuburg off the ground. "With Christian Foyer, we are now bringing a proven expert in process structures in F1 powertrain development into the project. "His experience will help ensure the synergistic cooperation and necessary speed on the journey we have embarked upon regarding the debut." Baker was a veteran of the former BMW Sauber team, a project that soured and led to BMW's departure in 2009. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
