SKODA

Škoda Favorit in a modern form with electric drive

The designers at Škoda Auto have once again drawn inspiration from the brand's rich history to create a modern interpretation of legendary vehicles. In the spirit of the "Modern Solid" design language, a carefully crafted reincarnation of the Škoda Favorit has emerged.

The Favorit was introduced in 1987 and was a key car that helped the Mladá Boleslav-based car manufacturer to move towards its modern identity. Despite limited resources and working behind the Iron Curtain, the engineers managed to create an attractive and high-quality car that attracted attention around the world.

The significance of the Favorit is also recognized by designer Lyudmil Slavov, who, as part of a look back at the legendary Škoda models, created a vision of the Favorit in the brand's current style.

“The task of developing a modern car capable of competing with Western models in a short time was successfully carried out by the engineering team led by Mr. Hrdlička. Even Volkswagen noticed the qualities of the Favorit – and the rest is history,” explains Ljudmil, explaining what attracted him to the model.

The dedication and intensity with which the original team worked inspired Ljudmil. “The energy and effort invested in the project remind me of my university days, when I sometimes needed a real boost,” smiles the designer. The task of reinterpreting the Favorit in the spirit of the Modern Solid language completely absorbed him – he spent about 120 hours of his personal time on the project. “I would like to thank my wife for giving me the space to do this,” he says gratefully.

Ljudmil also approached the original design with respect – it was created by the legendary Bertone design studio. “From today’s perspective, I think the Favorit was already a kind of Modern Solid. It was a technically and visually simple car aimed at the general public,” he explains. This way of thinking was reflected in his modern sketches.

His Favorit for the 21st century is a clean, simple vehicle – compact and practical. Lyudmil has expanded the original concept slightly into a crossover rather than a pure hatchback. “I wanted to update the original idea for today, when various crossovers are popular – like the Škoda Kamiq. I also envisioned the new Favorit as an electric vehicle, and the higher body structure allows for a better position of the battery in the floor,” he says.

Redesigning the Favorit’s shape wasn’t easy. “I didn’t want to use current design elements like the Tech-Deck Face. This is a tribute to the Favorit, so I studied its original details and tried to evolve and improve them. Honestly, simplifying the already minimalist shapes into the Modern Solid form was very challenging,” he admits.

The result is an impressive concept that amazes onlookers. Although Ljudmil’s sketches contain iconic elements of the original model, his modern Favorit doesn’t feel retro. Its distinctive front end may not exactly match today’s Škoda faces, but it perfectly embodies the Modern Solid philosophy.

The road to a successful result was long: “I sketched many versions, searched for the ideal shape of the grille and headlights, tried different perspectives and consulted a lot with colleagues,” says Ljudmil. From start to finish, he sketched everything digitally on a tablet, because it makes it easier for him to work with proportions. “I almost never use pencils anymore — maybe only for the first ideas,” he adds of his working style.

From the beginning, his vision of the Favorit, redesigned as a crossover, had balanced proportions emphasizing practicality. At a certain stage, he brought in his colleague David Stingl to help take the concept to the next stage. “David designs in a 3D sketching environment, which was a great next step for further development,” explains Ljudmil. “We based it on Lyudmila’s sketches. My task was to give the car new volumetric proportions, shapes and design elements so that the result looks almost like a finished product with a modern, solid expression,” says David Stingle about the development of the new Favorit.

They kept the design clean and focused on making the car feel approachable. “It’s a friendly car for everyday life – compact, yet practical. That’s the essence of the Favorit,” says David. “For me, the Favorit was a nice car where everything made sense. In that way, it was simply smart,” adds Lyudmila, praising the original.

Although the final result looks more like a production-ready vehicle than the early sketches, Stingle added many original details that set it apart from the earlier stages and introduce interesting functional solutions.

“Take the doors, for example – they’re quite unique. They have a common handle built into the body, split in the middle, and open in opposite directions. This keeps the design visually clean,” describes David. Another unusual detail is the wheels: “Their shape is simple, inspired by the way we sketch wheels when we’re not focusing on their design,” he notes.

One of the most striking elements of the concept are its headlights, which cleverly reference the original model. Back then, even the famous designer Bertone was challenged to integrate the basic, previously developed headlights that were mass-produced in Czechoslovakia at the time. Despite their size, he had to fit them into his design language. In this spirit, Lyudmil Slavov spent a lot of time thinking about how to modernize this element.

The result is a fascinating solution with very thin modern LED lights at the front and rear. They are framed by partially transparent covers that match the volume of the original car's lights. "Through these covers, the light can project different patterns, which the owner can customize," says Lyudmil. According to Stingl, the headlight covers could even be foldable: "The primarily visible part is for the daytime running lights. When a classic headlight is needed, the cover folds down," he explains.

A subtle modern touch of lighting is the illuminated sign in the ŠKODA logo on both the front and rear of the car.

In addition to the "civilian" version, Lyudmil Slavov also created a racing concept inspired by the Favorit's rally heritage. It is characterized by prominent bumpers, which he introduced at a certain stage of development as a reference to the plastic bumpers of the original Favorit.

Autonews