- Mirroring the growing trend of manufacturers bringing classic model names and styles into the fully-electric era, Skoda has revealed the Favorit concept, a fully-electric take on the original 1980s model.
- The 1980s Skoda Favorit marked a significant turning point in Skoda’s history, and as it continues to electrify its current range, that change is more relevant than ever.
- Whilst the concept isn’t planned to make production, it gives an insight into what we could see in Skoda’s EV future.
Skoda hints at revival of retro designs for the EV era
The original Favorit was a landmark model for Skoda, being designed and built under the constraints of the iron curtain, yet still attracting enough positive attention from the wider automotive industry to help lead to Skoda’s eventual partnership with Volkswagen.
With this new concept, designer Ljudmil Slavov blended elements of the Favorit’s original 80s design with Skoda’s new ‘Modern Solid’ design language, which is set to launch on upcoming Skoda EVs.
Designer, Ljudmil Slavov, explained his EV redesign of the Favorit:
“I didn’t want to rely on current design elements like the Tech-Deck Face. This is a tribute to the Favorit, so I carefully studied the original details, aiming to evolve and elevate them. Simplifying an already minimalistic shape into the Modern Solid style was genuinely challenging.”
This retro-meets-future design isn’t the first we’ve seen within the EV industry, with the initial Renault 5 concept offering up a similar style. In Renault’s case, the 5 has made it to production – along with other retro-inspired EVs from the brand, like the 4 and the Twingo. However, Skoda notes that the Favorit concept won’t be heading to production. Even so, Skoda says that its creation marks a ‘clear signal’ of its future direction, with ‘more iconic re-imaginings on the horizon’. With this concept carrying elements of Skoda’s upcoming Modern Solid design, it gives us an idea as to what Skoda EVs on the horizon could look like. Skoda is yet to release an electric hatchback like the ID.3, which this concept could also be hinting at.
Time will tell whether any future Skoda re-imaginings make it to the production stage, in an EV market that has seen an increasing number of cars released which embody design features from older models.
