Trabi was a very successful car in its era. It was launched in 1957 nad produced until 1991. Now Herpa, a toy manufacturer, decided is time for this legend to come back to life.

At the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, Herpa presented a mockup of what will be the next Trabi. A concept version will be unveiled in 2009 at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

The new concept will be called New Trabi and will be a five-doors hatchback, painted in blue. Based on the concept, the company will develop a production version that will meet all the safety and emission standards.

Press release

Small, sturdy, full of symbolism and history, no other vehicle stirs as much emotion among Germans as the Trabant. Since 1990, Herpa has produced several hundred thousand Trabant examples as quality models in the 1/87 scale – making the Trabi one of the most successful miniature models of all time. The Trabi turns 50 on November 7,2007 and is still present today like hardly any other historical vehicle. Reason enough for Herpa to give the Trabant a future.

Within the scope of the “Initiative newTrabi”, the first step was taken by purchasing the copyright of the “Trabant” brand from the Trabant-Register e.V. society. Afterwards, a design draft, presented at the IAA 2007 in Frankfurt enjoyed a worldwide positive feedback.
   
Only four months after presenting the design draft, Herpa has laid the foundation to expand the initiative newTrabi. The technical coordination and inclusion of additional Saxon companies for the development, respectively realization, is taken over by the company IndiKar (Wilkau-Haßlau, Zwickau/Saxony district) - competent as system vendor of specialty vehicles, vehicle components and prototypes for the automobile industry.

With IndiKar and their network-partners from the “Autoland Saxony”, it is the goal to present a modern Trabant successor as original-sized prototype at the IAA 2009. The wishes and expectations of the cult car’s many enthusiastic fans will be incorporated in the development of the cult car. The newTrabi is supposed to be an eye-catcher with history and charm - innovative, handy and economical.”

newTrabi enters mass production


On request of thousands of fans, the Initiative newTrabi goes into the next round. And for all who would like “to have something in hand”, the forerunners “en miniature” are already available.

Parallel to the initiative’s continuation, Herpa starts the production of the newTrabi as miniature model in the classic collector’s scale 1/87 (H0), made in Germany and made of “plastic” of course. Herpa will present the newTrabi miniature model at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg from February 7 - 12, 2008.