Bojan Vrbnjak
To what extent is v automotive sector technological exchange took place between NDR in West Germany? They are known Wartburg 1.3 in Trabant 1.1 with engines VW and the development of the Wankel engine under license NSU in the sixties of the last century. But do you know Trabant X03? Maybe in a different form...
When we recently reported on the prototype VW EA 276, which was presented at the motor show in early February 2024 Bremen Classic, voices rose: Wasn't that really ultra-modern Trabant P 603, whose development was abruptly halted years ago 1968? Well, the legend of the Trabant as the true predecessor of the Golf was disproved after a short search on various websites.
Trabant X03
Almost 8 billion German marks costs for serial production, political stubbornness (there was enough demand for P 601), major problems with the planned Wankle engines and problems with suppliers stopped it P 603, despite its undisputed status "world class". This was followed by a few more attempts of Trabant manufacturers, in order to modernize their product, but in the end more and more modestly, to at least accept something in the Politburo. This can be read in the standard work "Layers, Blech und Planwirtschaft” (Plastics, sheet metal and planned economy) about the history of the automobile industry NDR, written by the recently deceased Peter Kirchberg.
He was last Trabant equipped with an expensive four-stroke engine VW (EA 111/BM 820), for which the car had to be completely redesigned. But Trabant 1.1 it did not show this and was only launched on the market last year 1990, after political changes. Until April 1991, only 38.256 copies. Almost no one knows that he had Volkswagen in the framework of cooperation with NDR much more far-reaching plans. In the museum August Horch in Zwickau, which is worth checking out, is a photo of an angular small car project named X03. Magazine KFT reported this vehicle by “reunions” and stated the year 1995 as the date of the start of sales.
Seat Ibiza
Jens Conrad he says more on his website: “Volkswagen then came up with a proposal that was presented under the working name “X03”. It was supposed to be based on the third generation VW Polo (A03), which was under development at the time. The proposal included 3- and 5-door full-back versions, as well as a hatchback and hatchback model. Due to the political events in Germany in the fall of 1989, Volkswagen canceled the project at the end of 1989. Instead, a joint venture with limited liability was contracted, which saw the first VW Polo roll off the production line at the Zwickau vehicle plant as a CKD model in May 1990. Just under a year later, production of the Trabant model was discontinued."
