► The Favorit supermini is reborn!
► Design study a crucial car for the brand
► Should it make production?
Skoda’s design team have dug deep into the brand’s modern history, reimagining the Favorit supermini as an electric car.
The Favorit hatchback was originally launched in 1987, and helped transform Skoda from Eastern Bloc minnow to the VW Group-owned European powerhouse it is today. While this was still during the era of Skoda being the butt of unreliability jokes, this was arguably the fulcrum for Skoda’s rise and modern-day success.
Skoda’s design team have pondered the return of the Favorit via this design study, led by designer Ljudmil Slavov. The new Favorit design concept is super clean, simple, boxy and has been deliberately crafted not to use Skoda’s current ‘Modern Solid’ design language seen on cars like the new Elroq and Enyaq facelift.
‘The Favorit was actually ‘Modern Solid’ in its own way,’ says Slavov. ‘It was a fairly simple car for the general public, both technically and in terms of shape.
‘I didn’t want to use current elements, such as the Tech-Deck Face mask . This is supposed to be a celebration of Favorit, so I traced its original details and tried to work with them, move them, elevate them,’ Slavov adds.
Slavov and the design team crafted various design iterations, even showing off ones with what looks like plastic bumpers and different headlights – and even a rally-inspired one that echoes the WRC version that won the Monte Carlo, RAC, Finnish 1000 Lakes and Acropolis rallies in 1989.
The final iteration includes plenty of smart and clean details, with the intention to show off as many modernised design details from the original Favorit as possible. ‘The doors, for example, are uniquely designed. They have one common handle built into the mass of the car and divided in the middle of the doors, which then open towards each other,’ says designer David Stingl.
Generally, though, Skoda’s showing this car off entirely as a design study. That said, Skoda’s product portfolio doesn’t include a hatchback in the near future; the brand could take advantage of the VW Group MEB Entry platform used by the upcoming new Volkswagen ID.2 to create a production version of the Favorit design study.
A prospective production version would also have to content with a growing number of small electric cars from other brands. Renault, for example, is resurrecting the Twingo with Dacia and Nissan versions using the same technology to follow. Stellantis is launching a number of small EVs, too – with the Fiat Grande Panda and Citroen e-C3 hitting the value-focused supermini space.
There’s even the return of the Yugo to consider – another Eastern Bloc car that’s making a comeback as a combustion and EV model. Interesting times – and one that Skoda could take advantage of.
Jake has been an automotive journalist since 2015, joining CAR as Staff Writer in 2017. With a decade of car news and reviews writing under his belt, he became CAR's Deputy News Editor in 2020 and then News Editor in 2025. Jake's day-to-day role includes co-ordinating CAR's news content across its print, digital and social media channels. When he's not out interviewing an executive, driving a new car for review or on a photoshoot for a CAR feature, he's usually found geeking out on the latest video game, buying yet another pair of wildly-coloured trainers or figuring out where he can put another car-shaped Lego set in his already-full house.
By Jake Groves
CAR's news editor; gamer, trainer freak and serial Lego-ist