The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History

Nearly two decades after the company went bankrupt in America, the Yugo is still part of our cultural vernacular, for all the wrong reasons. Vuic, an assistant professor at Bridgewater College, Va., delves into our fascination with the brief but turbulent life of a Yugoslavian car that has now turned into a punch line. Billed as an economic, reliable mode of transportation, the Yugo was in fact badly made, with substandard workers abroad who had a propensity to drink on the job. Yet due to its advertised price tag of under $4,000, it rode a short wave of popularity when it debuted in the U.S. in 1985, as customers snapped up the automobiles sight unseen. The Yugo was all the rage, until people began driving it: one review described how nearly everything in the new car was defective. The car’s flaws were many, but Vuic also shows how much of its demise was due to the company’s owner, Malcolm Brinklin, who failed in most of his automotive ventures, not because of lack of entrepreneurial vision but because of financial irresponsibility. In the end, this is a fun read about a heap of junk that should make anyone feel better about having to take their car to a repair shop. (Mar.)