:Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau

{{Short description|East German vehicle construction union}}

{{One source|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau

| logo = IFA Logo.svg

| type = Conglomerate

| industry = Manufacturing

| fate =

| predecessor =

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| founded = {{Start date and age|1948}}

| founder =

| defunct = {{End date|1991}}

| hq_location_city =

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| area_served = East Germany

| key_people =

| products = Bicycles, motorcycles, light commercial vehicles, automobiles, tractors, vans and heavy trucks

| owner =

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File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1986-0903-118, Leipzig, Herbstmesse, Straßenfahrzeuge.jpg

Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau ({{lit|Industrial Association for Vehicle Construction}}),{{cite web |last1=Gavenda |first1=Slavomír |title=What trucks gave the world the almost forgotten IFA - TIR Center trucks |url=https://www.tircentrum.cz/en/2019/04/19/what-kind-of-truck-gave-the-world-almost-forgotten-ifa |website=tircentrum.cz |access-date=14 May 2025 |language=en |date=19 April 2019}} usually abbreviated as IFA, was a conglomerate and a union of companies for vehicle construction in the former East Germany.

IFA produced bicycles, motorcycles, light commercial vehicles, automobiles, tractors, vans and heavy trucks. All East German vehicle manufacturers were part of the IFA, including Barkas, EMW (which made Wartburg cars), IWL, MZ, Multicar, Robur, Sachsenring (which made Trabant cars) and Simson.

Car production

IFA cars were based on pre-war DKW designs and made in the former Horch factory in Zwickau. The F8 had a two-cylinder {{convert|684|cc|1|lk=on|abbr=on}} engine, and the F9 had a three-cylinder {{convert|804|cc|1|abbr=on}} unit. The F8 bodies were straight copies of the pre-war models, and rapidly looked old-fashioned, but some had more modern coachwork by Baur of Stuttgart, then in West Germany. The three cylinder cars (F9) had not got into production before war broke out in 1939, and so had more up to date bodies similar to the West German DKWs. More than 26,000 F8's and 30,000 F9s were built. IWL produced W50 and L60 trucks and Robur light trucks and vans.

The IFA badge was dropped from cars in 1956, and the F8s became Zwickau P70s, and the F9 was rebodied to become the Wartburg and production transferred to Eisenach.

=Two wheels=

Image:Emw-R35-mit-hinterradfederung.jpg|EMW R 35, 1951–55

File:Pitty rechts.jpg|IWL Pitty, 1954–55

File:Troll001.jpg|IWL TR 150 Troll 1, 1962–1965

Image:RT125.JPG|MZ RT 125/3, 1959–1962

Image:TS 1501.JPG|MZ TS 150 "Luxus", 1973–1985

Image:TS 2501.JPG|MZ TS 250/1 "Luxus", 1976–1981

Image:MZ ETZ250.JPG|MZ ETZ 250

Image:Simson Schwalbe.jpg|Simson Schwalbe

Image:Simson S51B.JPG|Simson S51

=Cars=

Image:Wartburg-2006-09.jpg|IFA F8

Image:IFA-F9.jpg|IFA F9

Image:1952-55 EMW 340 Limousine, at Wartburg 2006-08.jpg|EMW 340 limousine

Image:Sachsenring-P-240-Cabriolet.jpg|P 240 Sachsenring cabriolet

Image:Trabant P50 front.jpg|Trabant P50

Image:Trabant601K.jpg|Trabant 601 S Universal

Image:Wartburg 312.jpg|Wartburg 312 Camping

File:Wartburg 353 by Hobson's Conduit 1988.jpg|1985 Wartburg 353 saloon

=Transporters, trucks and tractors=

Image:Framo barkas pritsche.jpg|Framo

Image:Barkas B1000 Pritsche.jpg|Barkas B1000 flatbed truck

Image:Multicar.JPG|Multicar M 25

Image:Robur 2005.jpg|Robur LD 3000

File:H3 Front.png|IFA H3

File:Fotothek df roe-neg 0006203 006 Ansicht eines IFA H3 während der Fahrt vor dem H.jpg|IFA H3A

Image:IFA G5 Tankwagen mit Anhänger.jpg|G5

File:S4000.png|IFA S4000

File:IFA H6 Pritsche (schwarz).jpg| IFA H6

Image:IFA H6B S Dresden.jpg|IFA H6 bus

file:W 50 L Blau.jpg|IFA W 50

Image:IFA L60.jpg|IFA L 60

Image:IFA Pionier RS 01-40, August Horch Museum Zwickau.jpg|IFA Pionier RS

References

{{reflist}}