Trabant name to be revived with EV at Frankfurt

By Matt Brogan | August 14th, 2009

The Trabant name might not mean much here in Australia, but to anyone who has travelled to eastern Europe, especially some decades back, the vehicular icon of communist East Germany will no doubt be a familiar memory.

So in an attempt to keep that memory alive, German manufacturer Herpa Miniaturmodelle will make a comeback for the nameplate this year with its “New Trabi” EV concept set to appear at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

The manufacturer hopes showing the prototype will attract sentimental investors and relaunch a modern, environmentally friendly version of the classic city car in 2012.

Herpa’s updated Trabi has the square, boxy look of the original car, of which about 3 million were built between 1957 and 1991, but company spokesman Daniel Stiegler said it will not be a retro car.

“The New Trabi will be a stylish car with a history,” said Mr Stiegler. “It will be electrically powered because that is the trend.”

And while Herpa have released few technical details on the new Trabant they did say it will have a rooftop solar panel for recharging its battery, similar to Prius, a range of about 250km and weigh less than 1000kg.

Berlin’s IAV Automotive Engineering firm, based in Berlin, will partner Herpa Miniaturmodelle to supply the electric powertrain.

Herpa Miniaturmodell, which currently makes model cars and airplanes, bought the Trabant copyright in 2007.

Gav

Oh no… Please don’t tell me that top photo is a concept for it!! It looks terrible – like a Kia Soul cross 300C!
Communist

Arrr, the o’l Trabant, reminds me of East Germany and Communism, together with [liberal/free-n-easy!]girls wanting to know you just because you where different to the local fooder….

Be nice if they would put the wall back up again…

Long live East German girls that do “the business”

New Trabby looks interesting too
DGS

Ok?

Bit like bringing back British Leyland. Not quite the same quality that Germany is usually proud of.

Could work though, with a plastic body to save wieght, a reasonable price tag and modern european build quality it might just be successful.
Alex

I think it looks great! I don’t think people should judge it just yet though; computer mock ups are usually only a taste of what’s to come. By the looks of some of those lines, this could be properly cool.
http://Caradvice.com.au Baddass

Yeah Alex properly cool, and probably deadly. What this article fails to mention is that the original Trabant was made from cardboard: and DGS said the new one might be made from plastic. Something tells me that safety wasn’t and won’t be their No.1 concern with this car. And could they get a worse name than Trabant?
http://Caradvice.com.au Baddass

As for the look of the car, well, I don’t think aerodynamics will be a high priority either!
realcars

Cool retro look!
DGS

The Old Trabant was made out of a type of Plastic re enforced with all sorts of fiberous matirials (seemingly on the basis of whatever was on hand at the time). It weighed about 750kg. Powered by a mighty 600cc (20kw) 2 cylender, 2 stroke engine it could scream from 0 – 100km/hr in an allmost unparalelled 21 seconds. Wring it out and it is flying along at 110km/hr.

When unleashed upon the west such was its affect it soon was dubbed “polution on wheels”.

The Old Trabant (1957 – 1990) has become a bit of a cult car in the former East Germany.
Reckless1

You have to remember that in the old East Germany, people had nowhere to go, and all their life to get there.

Hence the Trabi suited perfectly, for it too would rarely get where it needed to.

The smokescreen from the dirty engine was the highlight of the Villagers’ lives…..when someone was able to get one started.
Underling

This is what Elitist drives(and a punto).
DGS

There would be an almost beautiful irony if Trabant go from having been the producers of one of the worlds most pollutive cars to manufactuing one of the worlds cleanest an greenest.

Other than the Tesla, this is the best looking EV so far also. I read a report that they intend to sell them in the UK also, inicating right hand drive variants. The price was projected at 7,000 to 9,000 pounds (around $20,000). Reasonable I thought.

I was rather cynical at first, but now I would at least check one out in the plastic (?) if they sell them here at that price.

Some people seem hung up on metal cars, I would rather be in a solidly built plastic car than a beer can thin dent magnet. You still have the metal chasis and re enforcements, just plastic panals to save weight, plus after a minor bump they can pop back into shape (the front fenders on Xtrails are plastic)