Company overview
The Trabant was a series of small cars produced from 1957 to 1991 by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in East Germany. Four models were created: the Trabant 500, Trabant 600, Trabant 601, and the Trabant 1.1. The initial model, the 500, was a relatively modern car when introduced and featured a detachable duroplast body on a galvanised steel unibody chassis, front-wheel drive, and a two-stroke engine. Production continued for nearly 30 years, with the Trabant becoming a symbol of East Germany’s economic stagnation and the fall of the Eastern Bloc. The car was known as a “spark plug with a roof” and 3,096,999 units were produced. Obtaining a Trabant required a lengthy waiting period, often exceeding thirteen years, depending on location. The car's design remained largely unchanged until the introduction of the Trabant 1.1 in 1990, which utilized a VW Polo engine. Early Trabants were characterized by poor build quality, a loud engine, and low performance. The models featured a steel frame with duroplast body panels and were known for their limited availability and high prices on the black market. By 1989, thousands of East Germans attempted to drive their Trabants to the West. The Trabant 1.1, introduced in 1990, represented a significant improvement with a VW engine and enhanced features. In the 1990s, the Trabant became a symbol of post-Soviet transition and was often given away. The car gained popularity as a collector’s item, and in 2007, an American-Uzbek joint venture attempted to produce the Trabant in Uzbekistan. The Trabant has also been used in diplomatic circles and celebrated for its ability to pass a moose test. Plans for a new Trabant model were developed in 2007, though production has not yet commenced.
