An icon in modern form: the electrifying Favorit

What if this iconic Škoda would be reimagined in Modern Solid design? 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 current design language, a carefully considered reincarnation of the Škoda Favorit model has emerged.

27. 5. 2025 Škoda World Design

The Škoda Favorit was a crucial car that helped steer the Mladá Boleslav-based automaker toward its modern-day identity. Despite limited resources and working behind the Iron Curtain, engineers managed to create an attractive and high-quality car that earned attention worldwide.

The importance of the Favorit is also recognized by designer Ljudmil Slavov, who, as part of a look back at Škoda’s legendary 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 on a tight deadline was successfully carried out by the engineering team led by Mr. Hrdlička. Even Volkswagen took note of the Favorit’s qualities—and the rest is history,” explains Ljudmil, sharing what attracted him to the model.

The series Icons Get a Makeover is a tribute to legendary models from Škoda’s history and a celebration of the creativity of today’s designers. Their reinterpretations of historic vehicles were created exclusively for this series and do not represent any future Škoda models.

Škoda Favorit

The Škoda Favorit hatchback was introduced in 1987. Despite being developed under the restrictions of the Eastern Bloc, it stood up well against Western cars in terms of utility and driving characteristics. It was powered by a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine with outputs ranging from 40 to 50 kW across different versions. In addition to the hatchback, Škoda also produced the Forman estate variant. After several updates, the model was manufactured until 1994, when it was replaced by the Felicia.

The dedication and intensity with which the original team worked inspired Ljudmil. “The energy and effort poured into the project remind me of my university days, when I sometimes needed a real push,” the designer smiles. The task of reimagining the Favorit in the spirit of Modern Solid completely absorbed him—he spent around 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.

Modern Solid by Bertone

Ljudmil also approached the original design with reverence—it was created by the legendary design studio Bertone. “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 explains. This mindset was reflected in his modern sketches.

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

Redesigning the shape of the Favorit was not 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 elevate them. Honestly, simplifying the already minimalistic shapes into Modern Solid form was very challenging,” he admits.

The result is an impressive concept that astonishes viewers. Even though Ljudmil’s sketches contain iconic elements of the original model, his modern Favorit doesn’t feel retro. Its distinctive front end might not fully align with today’s Škoda faces, but it captures the philosophy of Modern Solid perfectly.

A friendly Simply Clever car

The road to the successful result was a long one: “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, as he finds it easier to work with proportions that way. “I hardly ever use pencils anymore—maybe just for the very first ideas,” he adds about his working style.

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

They kept the design clean and focused on making the car feel approachable. “It’s a friendly car for everyday life—compact but still practical. That’s the essence of the Favorit,” David says. “To me, the Favorit was a likeable car where everything made sense. In that way, it was Simply Clever,” adds Ljudmil in praise of the original.

Although the final result looks more like a production-ready vehicle than the early sketches, David Stingl added many original details that distinguish it from earlier phases and introduce interesting functional solutions. “Take the doors, for example—they’re quite unique. They have a shared handle embedded in the body, split at the centre, and they open in opposite directions. It keeps the design visually clean,” David describes. 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.

Hypnotic headlights are a tribute to the original

One of the concept’s most striking elements is its headlights, cleverly referencing the original model. Back then, even famed designer Bertone had a challenge integrating basic, pre-developed headlamps that were mass-producible in Czechoslovakia at the time. Despite their size, he had to work them into his design language. In this spirit, Ljudmil Slavov spent a lot of time thinking about how to modernize this element.

An icon in modern form: the electrifying Favorit

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The result is a mesmerizing solution with very slim modern LED lights at the front and rear. These are framed by partially translucent covers that match the volume of the original car’s lights. “Through these covers, light can project different patterns, which the owner could customize,” Ljudmil says. According to David, the headlight covers could even be foldable: “The primarily visible part is for daytime running lights. When a classic headlamp is needed, the cover folds away,” he explains. A subtle modern lighting touch is the illuminated caron in the Škoda logo on both the front and rear of the car.

In addition to the “civilian” version, Ljudmil Slavov also created a racing concept inspired by the Favorit’s rally heritage. It features prominent bumpers made of soft-touch material, which he introduced at a certain stage of development to reference the original Favorit’s plastic bumpers.

Ljudmil Slavov

Designer Ljudmil Slavov is originally from Bulgaria but moved to the Czech Republic with his parents at age of 11 and has lived there for over 25 years. He graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM). During an internship in Bratislava, he became familiar with the Volkswagen Group. He later worked in industrial design, transportation and heavy machinery design, and eventually focused on automotive design.

He has been with Škoda Design since 2017, working as part of the interior design team. In 2020, he created a modern interpretation of the legendary Škoda Popular Monte Carlo for the “Icons Reimagined series”, which the current series continues. Ljudmil is a passionate cyclist and tries to spend as much of his free time as possible with his family. He also loves architecture but finds his greatest creative inspiration in music.

David Stingl

At 24, exterior designer David Stingl is currently finishing his design studies at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. He began working in design at the age of 15, initially freelancing as a product designer. He quickly developed a strong interest in 3D modelling, which led to his current position—now in his second year—with Škoda Auto’s digital design studio. “It’s my first experience working directly for a carmaker. I love cars and design, so this job is the realization of my dreams,” he says. As for his creative inspiration, he adds: “I love good stories. For me, design is like a great story made physical.”