In 1966 it appeared the Wartburg 353. Chassis in relation to Wartburg 312 were unchanged, novelty was angular bodywork, designed in accordance with the then prevailing trends by Clauss Dietel. Despite the increased passenger space, was characterized by a smaller than its predecessor external dimensions (width was greater only).

To drive uses a well-known predecessor, two-stroke engine with a maximum power of 45 HP, allow it to reach the maximum speed of the order of 130 km/h with an average fuel consumption of 8-9.5 l / 100 km. The projected level of production was around 40 000 units per year.

353 was practically the last true novelty in the history of East German manufacturer. Despite many of modernization, of which the most prominent was carried out in 1985, including changing front fascia, the car with its "swinging" framework bodywork increasingly diverged from the western competition.