Zastava Koral (Yugo GV) History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Launched in 1980 as the Zastava Koral, this subcompact hatchback was derived from a shortened Fiat 128 floorpan and was designed as a low-cost, accessible car for the Yugoslav domestic market. It was powered by a 1,100 cc overhead-cam four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels.
In 1984, entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin tested the US market for the car, now branded Yugo. The first shipment arrived in Baltimore in July 1985, and the Yugo GV ('Good Value') went on sale on 24 August 1985 at a starting price of $3,990 — the lowest sticker price of any new car sold in the United States. It became the fastest-selling European import in US history, moving 163,000 units in three years. However, chronic quality issues and a brutal reputation for unreliability followed, and Bricklin sold his stake in 1988. Yugoslav Wars and international sanctions ended US exports by 1991–1992.
At home in Yugoslavia and later Serbia, the Koral remained in production with minimal changes until the very last Zastava car rolled off the Kragujevac line on 21 November 2008 — approximately 750,000 total units built across its 28-year life.
Body styles
- 3-door hatchback
Notable special editions & performance variants
Yugo GVL / GVX
US-market trim upgrades above the base GV, offered from the 1987 model year: the GVL added a plusher interior over the base car; the GVX was the sporty flagship with the 1,300 cc OHC engine, a five-speed manual, alloy wheels, and a ground-effects package.
Yugo Cabrio
Open-top version introduced in 1988 and built in limited numbers with 1.1-liter carbureted or 1.3-liter fuel-injected engines; sold in the USA (through 1992, its final US year), Germany, Yugoslavia, and Greece.
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