The Trabant /trəˈbɑːnt/ is a car that was produced by former East German auto maker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Saxony. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the Eastern Bloc. It was advertised as having room for four adults and luggage in a compact and durable shell; and being relatively fast.

Due to its outdated and inefficient two-stroke engine (which produced poor fuel economy compared to its low power output and thick, smoky exhaust), and production shortages, the Trabant was regarded with derisive affection as a symbol of the extinct former East Germany and of the fall of the Eastern Bloc. This is because in former West Germany, many East Germans streamed into West Berlin and West Germany in their Trabants after the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989. It was produced for nearly 30 years with almost no significant changes; 3,096,099 Trabants were produced in total. In Western nations, the Trabant's shortcomings are often written about for comedic effect. However, older models of the car have become popular imports among collectors in the US due to their low cost and easier import restrictions on antique vehicles. There are also clubs in Germany and elsewhere that heavily modify the cars with artistic paint schemes, additional mechanicals, modifications to the body and suspension, etc., as well as several instances of the cars being used for rally racing and other motorsport.

Trabant (Slavic for "guide", "escort") may refer to:

Trabant is also the surname of the following people:

See also:

Trabant was a circle of young songwriters and amateur musicians coworking as a band between 1980 and 1987. Most of the music and words were written by Mihály Víg and János Vető, while minor contributions came from György Kozma, Károly Hunyady, Gábor Lukin, János Xantus and József Dénes "Dönci". The two main voices were visual artist and actress Marietta Méhes and Mihály Víg, occasionally Tamás Pajor, Mariann Urbán and Attila Grandpierre. Among other musicians were János Másik and Jenő Menyhárt of Európa Kiadó. Apart from a few film appearances the band seldom performed publicly and never worked in studio; they focused on writing songs and instantly recording them one by one under lo-tech domestic circumstances. Their texts are best described by the words enigmatic, intertextual, grotesque and absurd; their musical style does not fall into any of the known musical categories.

Filmography

While Trabant does not have a discography in the proper sense, the body of hundred-and-some individual recordings is being collected, organised and prepared by Gábor Lukin, for future release, and part of it has been merged into other bands' repertoires in various covers and arrangements. The band, however, appears in a number of feature and documentary films.