Aleksandar Bjelić from the company Globo and graphic designer Darko Marčeta have announced that in two years, they will unveil a prototype of the revived “Yugo” car brand at the specialized Expo 2027 exhibition in Belgrade, which will be roadworthy. Bjelić emphasized that, as a car collector and the new owner of the rights to the “Yugo” name and model, he wants to protect the “Yugo” brand and bring it back to the roads.
“I was born in Germany and never lived in the former Yugoslavia or Serbia. Over the last 10 years, I’ve been increasingly drawn to Serbia because of my Serbian heritage. As a collector of classic and sports cars, including Zastava vehicles, I decided to protect the brand with the definite goal of bringing the ‘Yugo’ back—not just as a brand, but as a car,” he said in an interview on the SAT show on RTS.
He mentioned that the process of acquiring the “Yugo” brand was complex and lengthy, but with the help of a skilled team of lawyers, he managed to secure ownership of the brand.
“The ‘Yugo’ or ‘Zastava’ brand existed in the former SFRJ, and after the dissolution, it involved the Slovenians, Croats, Serbs, and Montenegrins. It was a process to determine who owned the brand. It took about a year and a half to sort through all the paperwork and figure out where we needed to go to register and protect it. In the end, we protected the logo,” Bjelić explained.
Bjelić also stated that, although he has been involved in the automotive industry for over 30 years, he has never been involved in car production. “Manufacturing was never the goal; now we’re looking for a manufacturer who might be interested in the design. This is something new—to bring the brand back to various markets. But more about this will be clear in 2027,” he added.
Before acquiring the rights to the “Yugo,” Bjelić had already done something similar with the oldest car cosmetics brand, Globo. “In 2009, I bought the oldest car cosmetics brand, Globo, founded in 1878, but that was a different situation as the brand was in a family. It just wasn’t an active brand. I approached the family and was able to buy Globo, which actually helped us protect the rights to the ‘Yugo,'” he explained.
Darko Marčeta, who is responsible for designing the new Yugo, said that a 1:5 scale model made of clay has already been created. This model will be tested in an aerodynamic tunnel to ensure the aerodynamics are suitable before the full-sized prototype is produced.
Marčeta stated that the new Yugo will retain some elements from the original, such as the directional indicators and the three-door configuration. “The entire front end, including a small section slanted on the hood, has been slightly enlarged. The lighting group, turn signals, and bumper are all integrated into one plastic part. The lower bumper will also have an air intake, something that some original Yugo models had, and some did not,” Marčeta said.
There is also a possibility that the new Yugo could feature a butterfly window, another nod to the original model, and plans include a glowing “Yugo” logo at the rear.
Marčeta emphasized that many details would affect the cost, but it is important that the new Yugo remains affordable, just as the original was.
According to the information released so far, the car will meet all emissions and safety regulations.
It is planned that the new Yugo will be powered exclusively by a gasoline engine, although an electric version is not ruled out.
