Although a Yugo can be had for less than $4,000, making it the cheapest car in the U.S., its fortunes have been flagging. Americans bought only 43,000 of the glitch-prone subcompacts last year -- well below predictions made when the two-door hatchback was first imported from Yugoslavia in 1985. Now a consortium organized by the Mabon, Nugent investment firm in New York City has paid $40 million to gain control of Yugo America and has promised to spend $40 million more for a campaign to tout new models.
This fall the company will introduce a convertible (base price: about $8,000). It...