Skoda Favorit: Communist-era hatch reimagined as an affordable EV

The Skoda Favorit broke new ground when it debuted back in 1987, bringing modern Western Europe design to those living in the communist east, and now it’s back as an EV concept.

The concept was designed by Ljudmil Slavov, an interior designer at the Czech automaker, and David Stingl, a 3D modeller at Skoda. Mr Slavov says he used 120 hours of his own time to reimagine the Favorit as a modern EV.

He describes the concept as more of a “crossover than a pure hatchback” with a “higher body structure [that] allows for better battery placement in the floor”.

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The doors, bonnet strakes, and overall silhouette clearly recall the original five-door hatch, but there are modern touches, like the shared door handle scoop that can open either the front or rear doors.

Although the Favorit concept’s body surfacing is patterned on Skoda’s new Modern Solid design language, the concept doesn’t adopt all the elements from the styling book. For example, the concept’s front end eschews the corporate “tech-deck face” for a new take on the original’s headlights.

Mind you, with its offset logo, missing grille, and angled bumper planes, the nose also seems heavily inspired by “droop snoot” Vauxhall Firenza HP from the mid-1970s.

It’s unclear, though, if the Favorit concept will be put into production. At the end of 2023 Skoda previewed a small EV hatch it had planned for the end of 2025, and that car looks more like an Elroq than a Favorit.

The original Favorit was the last family of cars designed by Skoda when it was still fully owned by the communist government of Czechoslovakia.

Launched in 1987 it was one of the most up-to-date vehicles ever sold behind the Iron Curtain. Penned by famed Italian car designer Nuccio Bertone, the Favorit had a modern front-wheel drive layout and a hatchback body, unlike its predecessor which was a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive sedan that traced its roots back to the 1960s.

It was powered by a 46kW 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine mated solely to a five-speed manual transmission. Compared to contemporary Ladas, FSMs, and Trabants of the time, the Favorit could’ve been a spaceship.

Production of the Favorit ceased in 1994 when it was replaced by the Felicia. Although it was basically a heavily updated Favorit, the Felicia benefited from Volkswagen engines as the German firm had taken a minor stake in the company. In 2000, Volkswagen made Skoda a fully owned subsidiary.

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