The Yugo Florida is a five-door hatchback that Zastava introduced on 19 February 1987 and built, with two facelifts, until November 2008. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign together with a group of Zastava engineers, and it was the most advanced and most independently engineered car the Kragujevac factory produced before it stopped making passenger cars.
Yugo Florida at a glance
| Also known as | Zastava Florida, Yugo Sana (UK), Yugo Miami |
|---|---|
| Maker | Zastava, Kragujevac |
| Project code | Zastava 103 |
| Premiere | 19 February 1987 |
| On sale | 2 October 1988 |
| Production ended | November 2008 |
| Design | Italdesign, Giorgetto Giugiaro |
| Body | five-door hatchback; also pick-up, panel van, ambulance |
| Engines | 1.1, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 petrol; 1.7 and 1.4 HDi diesel |
| Length / wheelbase | 3.9 m / 2.5 m |
| Kerb weight | 910 kg |
| Boot | 410 litres, 1,180 with the rear seat folded |
| Drag coefficient | 0.32 |
| Built | fewer than 30,000 |
History of the Yugo Florida
Zastava 103
Work on a successor to the Zastava 101 began in January 1983 under the code Zastava 103. The plan was for a five-year development aimed at export markets, a car of the lower-middle “Golf” class built as far as possible from domestic parts but modern enough to compete with Western European rivals. Fiat, anxious about competition for its own models, offered Zastava the Tipo instead of the engines it wanted; Kragujevac refused and eventually bought engine licences on its own. Italdesign was chosen for the styling, and prototypes covered millions of kilometres before production. The project is reported to have cost 150 million dollars, a third of it on development.
The name was decided by a public competition that drew about 800 suggestions, among them Sonata, Florida, Avala, Morava, Koral and Skala. Sonata was picked first, but Hyundai had already registered it, so the car became the Florida — chosen for its large glass area, which was said to give the feeling of sitting in sunny Florida. The new model was unveiled at the Šumarice hotel in Kragujevac on 19 February 1987 in front of 150 journalists, wearing a new “Y” badge on the bonnet, although the steering wheel still carried the old “Z”.
Into production
The first series car, a red 1.4, left the line on 2 October 1988. Output ramped up slowly while parts production was localised: 37 cars in 1988, 4,749 in 1989 and 8,905 in 1990, the record year. The first engine was the transverse 1.3 known from the Yugo and the 101, driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox; it was joined by Fiat’s 1,372 cc 70 hp unit and, for 1988–1989 only, a 1,580 cc 83 hp engine from Lancia. A 1.7 diesel was planned from the start.
In Britain the car was sold from 1988 to 1992 as the Yugo Sana, with the 1.4 petrol and a 1.7 diesel shared with the Fiat Tipo under licence. Sales ended when the importer, Zastava Cars (GB) of Reading, went out of business as a result of the Yugoslav wars and sanctions.
Florida In and the end
A refreshed Florida 103FL appeared in 2000 and was shown at the 2001 Belgrade show as the Florida In, the name it kept afterwards. The In L was the top trim, with air conditioning and a radio, and prices ran from about 5,000 to 7,000 euros. After a brief falling-out with Fiat, Peugeot TU engines of 1.1 and 1.6 litres were fitted from September 2002. A 1.4 HDi diesel of 68 PS was announced in January 2007, but only 18 were built. The last Florida left Kragujevac in November 2008. From 2001 the car was also assembled in Cairo by Nasr with a modified grille.
Design and features
- Giugiaro body: a five-door hatchback with clear links to the Fiat Uno and the first SEAT Ibiza, and a single windscreen wiper.
- Efficient shape: a drag coefficient of 0.32, among the lowest for a car of its time.
- Practical cabin: a 410-litre boot growing to 1,180 litres, a 43-litre tank and 165/70 R13 tyres.
- Export specification: built to compete in Western Europe rather than only at home.
Yugo Florida versions
- Florida (1988–2000): the original five-door with 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engines.
- Yugo Sana (1988–1992): British-market version with 1.4 petrol and 1.7 diesel.
- Commercial bodies: flat-bed pick-up, panel van and ambulance conversions.
- Florida In (2001–2008): facelifted range with Peugeot 1.1 and 1.6 petrol engines.
- Florida TDC (2007): Peugeot 1.4 HDi diesel, 18 built.
The Florida sat above the Yugo Koral and the Zastava Skala in the range, and it was the last new Zastava before the rebadged Zastava 10. More cars are in the Zastava collection.
Video: Yugo Florida 1.4
Video by Kobchina on YouTube.
Sources
- Yugo Florida, English Wikipedia: development, engines, export markets, end of production
- Југо флорида, Serbian Wikipedia: development cost, naming, production figures
- Zastava Florida, Italian Wikipedia: two series, total production
