[1] The car was an updated version of the Wartburg 353, with a 1.3-litre, four-stroke, four-cylinder engine as also used in the second generation Volkswagen Polo, instead of the original 1-litre, two-stroke, three-cylinder unit found in the 353.

In 1984 a deal was reached in which IFA would assemble Volkswagen's 1.3-liter EA111 engine under license, in the Barkas plant in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz).

[1] The new drivetrain also meant that the gear shifter migrated to the floor, instead of on the column where it was usually found on Wartburgs.

After the German reunification in October 1990, the Wartburg 1.3 was no longer competitive, and production slowed down until it was discontinued on 10 April 1991.

This was in an attempt to lower costs (which were rising rapidly after the reunification) by thirty per cent, and the Barkas-built drivetrain was the most expensive part.