Trabant 601 is the most popular version of the Trabant produced for 26 years. The new design had changed completely body that more square alluded to the style of Western cars. Initially, it was produced solely with the body limousine. In 1965, 601 station wagon was introduced, allowing luggage capacity increased to 1400 liters.

In the model introduced a new styling of the bodywork (modeled on the "winged" cars manufactured in the USA), and later another change such as: electrical installation 12 V, the rear suspension is based on springs and lateral control arms, as amended master cylinder, maintenance-free electronic ignition, new design wheels, heated rear window, fog and mirrors, front seat head restraints and seat belts.