{ { Infobox automobile
| name = Trabant P 50
| image = Trabant P50 front.jpg
| caption = Trabant P50 Saloon
| manufacturer =
| aka = Trabbi
| production = November 1957 - September 1962
| assembly =
| class = B-segment
| body_style =2-door saloon (Limousine)3-door estate (Universal)3-door panel van
| layout = FF
| platform = AWZ P 50
| engine = P-50-series (499 cc, 12.5 - 14.7 kW) | transmission = | wheelbase = | length = | width = | height = | weight = | predecessor = AWZ P 70 | successor = Trabant 600 | sp = uk }}
The Trabant P 50 (), also known as the Trabant 500, is the first series production model of the East German Trabant series, made by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. It was produced from 1957 until 1962; in total, 131,495 units were built (including pre-production models). In 1962, VEB Sachsenring switched production from the P 50 to the short-lived intermediate model Trabant 600, which combined the exterior styling of the Trabant P 50 with the technical design of the next generation Trabant model, the Trabant 601.
History
Development and pre-production
In January 1954, the Council of Ministers of East Germany decided that a small passenger car for mass-motorising East Germany ought to be built. The car was supposed to have two proper seats, and two smaller ones, a mass of not more than 600 kg, a fuel consumption of not more than 5.5 L/100 km, and a price of just 4000 Deutsche Mark der Deutschen Notenbank. In addition to that, they decided that the car ought to be made with a plastic body. In 1955, development was moved from VEB Forschungs- und Entwicklungswerk Karl-Marx-Stadt to VEB Automobilwerk „Audi“ Zwickau. However, instead of designing the Trabant P 50, VEB Automobilwerk „Audi“ Zwickau worked on an intermediate model, the AWZ P 70, to gain experience with the car's intended body material, duroplast. In 1956, development of the actual car began. Prior to that it was decided to build a car similar to the Lloyd 400. In late 1956, the first technical descriptions of the new car, then called the small car Typ 50, were released to the public. After three and a half years of development, the car, now called the Trabant, was presented to the public at the 1957 Leipzig Trade Fair.
On 7 November 1957, pre-series production commenced in VEB Automobilwerk „Audi“ Zwickau's Zwickau plant, with 50 cars built. However, at this time, the Trabant was not yet ready for series production. This was caused by a lack of production capacities at VEB Automobilwerk „Audi“ Zwickau's Zwickau plant, and by problems with the P 50 series engine design. On 1 May 1958, VEB Automobilwerk „Audi“ Zwickau and VEB Sachsenring Kraftfahrzeug- und Motorenwerke Zwickau were merged to increase the production capacities for the new Trabant. The newly formed conglomerate was called VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau.
Series production
From August 1958 until September 1962, the Trabant P 50 was series-produced in the Zwickau plant. During its production run, the Trabant P 50 received several technical updates and modifications. The first major update was the introduction of the P 50/Z engine in October 1958 (see Engine for technical details). In August 1959, the P 50/Z engine was replaced by the P 50/1 engine, and in March 1960, the estate version was introduced. It was pre-assembled by VEB Sachenring Automobilwerke Zwickau, and completed by coachbuilder VEB Karosseriewerk Meerane. In 1961, VEB Sachsenring introduced the panel van version of the Trabant P 50, which was a regular estate that had body panels instead of rear windows; it was not sold on the P 50's domestic market. Instead, for DDR buyers, the Trabant P 50 Camping was introduced, an estate with flat-folding seats, and a large folding sunroof. From summer 1962 until September 1962, the P 50 was made with a fully synchronised gearbox. In October that year, production was switched to the Trabant 600.
The Camping model was the only special model of the Trabant P 50 – VEB Sachsenring offered factory options (called Sonderwunsch), but never made a dedicated De Luxe model of the P 50. In total, the assembly of a Trabant P 50 took 180 man-hours. The car's price remained the same throughout its entire production run. A base model saloon cost 7450 Deutsche Mark der Deutschen Notenbank or 3565 Deutsche Mark, a base model estate cost 8900 Deutsche Mark der Deutschen Notenbank or 3965 Deutsche Mark, and a Camping estate was priced at 9500 Deutsche Mark der Deutschen Notenbank – the latter was never sold in West Germany, hence the lack of a Deutsche Mark price.