"Jugo" is back: How it gained dubious popularity in Hollywood

"Buy it"juice', it doesn't last long'.

This is just one of the jokes that could be heard about the former Yugoslav car. Zastava's modified version of the "Fiat 127" became famous as one of the worst cars of all time, but also as a star of Hollywood movies, according to the video attachment. Deutsche Welle (DW).

Will the "south" to return with a bang? Everything is possible, because Professor Aleksandar Bjelic from Germany wants to develop a prototype of the modern "south" by 2027 and present it at the Expo 2027 exhibition in Belgrade.

The plan is for the new "jugo" to be designed according to the latest standards of the modern car industry, preserving the spirit of the original model.

How did the original "South" model once cause a frenzy in the United States of America, despite its many flaws?

"The symbol of a state that no longer exists"

Born in the former Yugoslavia, "jugo" was and remains a witness of a time, with all its good and bad sides.

"South is south," says one driver. "It's like a time machine," adds another proud owner of this car.

Jugo was invented before the breakup of Yugoslavia and the wars that followed, as the communist equivalent of the "Volkswagen" from Yugoslavia. "It's not the best, but it's ours, we created it," the owner of the popular Zastava model told DW.

"Jugo united the Balkans." "All six republics worked on the same car," the driver points out.

"It may be a symbol of a state that no longer exists," adds cultural expert and founder of the "Yugo-taxi" project Peter Schitz.

The first "jugo" that came off the production line in 1980 was presented to the President of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito. Today it looks rather spartan, with its 45 horsepower. But it also has special equipment.

"It is very simple inside. It has a rear window heater, where you can warm your hands when pushing the car. It has a horn, a steering wheel, everything works. And another nice detail: even though it's a small car, it has three ashtrays, so everyone should smoke," says Neven Cerić from the Zastava Lovers Club.

The worst car of the millennium

Jugo was exported to 74 countries, including the United States of America. And the commercial for this car that aired in the USA is a spectacle in itself. In it, the famous "jugo", fast as a bullet, rushes along muddy roads, and the frame is also suitable for various acrobatics on the training ground.

"We present the new 'jugo'." The pinnacle of engineering achievements from Yugoslavia," the advertisement states.

Never before had such a small and inexpensive car been on sale in the American market. In the first year on the American market, 40.000 vehicles were sold.

"In its first year, the Jugo was the fastest selling car imported from Europe in US history. When he appeared in the low-cost segment of the market, he showed manufacturers around the world that there is still a market there and that it can be profitable," says historian and author Jason Vuić.

It didn't take long for the "South" to lose American sympathy.

"Americans voted it the worst car of the millennium," adds the historian.

However, the infamous title of the worst car did not prevent the Jugo from becoming the star of Hollywood movies. "Jugo" was good, let's say, when its brakes failed right when entering a curve, so it went straight into the lake.

"And that's where he became an icon - and a pop-icon of failure," points out Vuić.

The roles of the "south"

"Jugo" thus "played" several important roles in Hollywood films. The most famous one is from the movie "Die Hard 3", when Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson go on a chase in this car. When Willis, nervously, complains that they're not moving faster, Jackson famously says, "'Yugo' it is." Economical, but not fast".

In addition to this film, "Jugo" appeared in the films "The Crow" (1994), "Who Killed Mona?" (2000), "Manhattan Maid" (2002), "Nick and Nora's Endless Playlist" (2008), "Iron Man 2" (2010), "Cars 2" (2011), "November Man" (2014), "The Gambler" (2014), "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016), as well as the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series. (1997-2003), "Developmentally Disabled" (2003) and "Malcolm in the Middle" (2000-2006).

In addition, "jugo" played a role in Metallica's music video for the song "The Day That Never Comes" in 2008.

An inglorious end

After Tito's death in 1980, there were major tensions and wars during the 90s. When Serbia found itself under sanctions, they also hit the company "Jugo Amerika".

"And that was really the end of it." In the end, in 1999, NATO bombed the 'south' factory, the Zastava factory. It also produced weapons. And so, it is like the final crescendo of my 'jugo-opera'. Can the 'South' exist without Yugoslavia? The answer was: no," concludes the historian.

The last Jugo rolled off the runway on November 11, 2008. It was the end of a glorious chapter in European automotive history, with 800.000 Jugs produced over almost 30 years.

Toaster and shower cabin

The unexpected popularity of the "South" in the USA is also demonstrated by the exhibition that was organized in the building of the "Union" Railway Station in Washington in 1995.

With vehicles breaking down quickly and spare parts nowhere to be found, an ingenious design professor in New York City came up with a more durable use for the old, run-down "Southern" models - he invited his students to turn them into works of art.

So the artists reshaped 28 wrecks and gave them a new purpose. Kevin O'Callaghan, a professor at New York's School of Visual Arts, told the AP at the time that he felt a certain pity for these dilapidated cars.

"The Jugo has been discontinued. It was a landless car. People stayed with it, and they couldn't find parts or repairmen to fix it. I found that many people were just leaving them in their backyards, so I decided to put an ad in the local paper saying, 'Southern Models Wanted, Dead or Alive'. "Within three days, I received 79 calls and ended up buying 39 cars for a total of $3.900," he said.

The college provided each artist with a "jug", but they were left to decide for themselves what new life they would give it.

Each piece of art is fully functional – including Jugo converted into a pull-out toaster, as well as a car shower with real running water.

"When I got the assignment for this project, I was thinking about how to save fifteen minutes of sleep in the morning." So I came up with the idea of ​​combining driving to work and showering at the same time," said one of the artists.