Electric Trabant revival slated to debut at Frankfurt
Herpa New Trabant renderings - Click above for high-res image gallery
Anyone who spent any time in East Germany will be very familiar with the original Trabant, a diminutive automobile that was built and sold in the communist bloc. While the Trabant wasn't a particularly good car, it enjoys something of a cult following and is apparently ripe for a remake.
Unlike the old Trabant's smoky and extremely dirty two-stroke engine, the proposed New Trabant from Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH will feature clean electric power. Interestingly, Herpa is a German company that specializes in model cars and the whole idea sprang forth from a tiny little toy that brought the would-be automaker a ton of attention.
A rooftop solar panel should add a bit of power to the battery, which is reported to push the New Trabant up to a range of 250 kilometers (about 156 miles). A concept will be shown at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show and Herpa hopes to have the electric vehicle into production by 2012 if adequate investment can be procured.
Gallery: Herpa new Trabant
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brandon 11:35AM (8/14/2009)
that is one good looking electric car
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Shock Me 5:22PM (8/14/2009)
That is is one ugly looking model of an ugly electric car.
But better looking than the Leaf
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gulags 2:30PM (8/14/2009)
With that blue color and little circular black headlamps, the first thing that came to mind when I saw that render was some kind of Cambrian creature.
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RAN 4:44PM (8/14/2009)
Man, that car has "communist Bloc" written all over it. UGH!
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stevezilla 5:46PM (8/14/2009)
I like this design for its honest portrayal of what the original Trabant was: utilitarian. Make it cheap enough and I'll buy one. I'd prefer either a true wagon or a 3-box sedan as a grocery-getter and weekend errand-runner. Sure, it's dorky and different and will have the aerodynamic properties of a sofa, but I think there's a market for electric cars like this.
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