Cars Brands that start with Z

The automobile has become a subject of everyday life, entering the life of almost every person. It is not easy to imagine the existence of mankind without it. However, it was not always so. At the time of the first self-propelled cars, and then in the period of the formation of the very first cars, they were not available to everyone and were rather luxury items. But their history is no less interesting than the history of those who invented, developed, and founded automobile companies and brands. It will allow you to develop your intellectual level and see the interconnection between how mankind developed and, with it, the automobile industry.

What automobile brands start with Z?

There are a lot of automobile brands starting with the letter “Z” among the eastern manufacturers from China and Japan. But even among them, some are widely known, and those that worked mainly in the domestic market. These are the British Zenos Cars and Zenvo Automotive from Denmark, the Soviet ZIS, and the now-defunct Polish Zuk. There are many other companies that you can learn about by visiting special automotive information resources.

Interestingly, for almost a century and a half of its development, this type of transportation twice began to use electricity. The first electric cars were created at the dawn of the development of self-propelled transport – in parallel with the steam engine and at the dawn of internal combustion engines. But after electricity was displaced by combustible fuel, it was forgotten for more than a hundred years. Only in the XXI century did we realize how much more economical and environmentally friendly this way of obtaining energy is. And few people, except specialists, know that body elements were made in the twenties from metal and fiberglass, which is a revelation for many people today.

And all this is only a small part of what today is gradually fading into the past, lost in the depths of the past years, becoming not just a distant history but, in most cases, a lost part of the development of civilization. Much about the first steps of the automobile industry has already been lost. More and more often, it is possible to meet only fragmentary references to certain car brands or company names. We have to gather everything bit by bit from parallel sources – old newspapers, memoirs, old postcards, and photographs. And very big and useful work is done by those who find, process, supplement, and arrange this material in a convenient alphabetical order, allowing you to quickly find the desired brand or information on the letter “Z” or any other, preserving such an important history of the car.

Zagato

Zagato, an independent Italian auto body and design company, was founded in 1919 in Milan, Italy, by entrepreneur Ugo Zagato. He wanted to introduce aeronautical methods into the automobile industry. The first of these was to reduce weight through lightweight aluminum bodies, which attracted many famous manufacturers – Alfa Romeo, Ansaldo, Bugatti, Diatto, Fiat, Isotta Fraschini, Lancia, Maserati, OM and even Rolls-Royce. In the 30s, aerodynamics became the brand’s skate. During the Second World War, Ugo Zagato built trucks and military equipment and created the Monterosa company in Saronno. Today, the brand continues to innovate in materials and body shapes.

Zender Company

The Italian brand Zender Company became famous for its concept sports cars, the Zender Fact 4 coupe created in 1989. The brand was founded in 1969 for the modification of finished cars and development, production of body kits, and interior interiors. In 1974, Ford Werke AG and Volkswagen AG became customers. In 1977, the distribution network covered more than 40 countries. Until 2006, the brand maintained a partnership with Opel. In 2005, the company developed and opened new divisions, merging into Zen Tec Automotive GmbH. The company’s offices are located in Osnabruck (Germany) and Caorle (Italy).

Zenos Cars

Zenos Cars is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Wymondham, United Kingdom. It was founded by Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, former employees of Lotus Cars and Caterham Cars, in 2012. The name was formed from two parts – zen (purity) and os (backbone, foundation). Initially, the brand developed and produced three hand-built versions of the Zenos E10. In 2017, a consortium with Alan Lubinski’s AC Cars acquired the brand with all its assets. As a result of the reorganization, the company’s headquarters will remain in the UK, and production will be moved to South Africa.

Zenvo

One of the most expensive cars in this category is produced by Zenvo Automotive of Presto, a Danish car brand founded in 2004. The company is the first company of this type of production in the country. With its creation began the development and production of unique lightweight sports cars with a limited production volume while respecting the individual design for each client. The company was founded by Troels Vollertsen and Christian Brandt. In 2008, the first Zenvo ST1 prototype was assembled. Production began in 2019 when the car was named Supercar of the Year. Fifteen cars were sold at once. In 2015, production of the Zenvo TS1 began.

Zarooq Motors

Zarooq Motors, an automobile manufacturing company from the United Arab Emirates with an office in Dubai, was founded in 2014. The company was the first in the history of the country to start manufacturing chassis, bodies, and mass-production cars. The brand name was chosen based on the principle of “fast snake.” The brand is focused on the affluent category of consumers, creating an exclusive line of supercars in the “luxury” category. The main difference between the brands’ products is the consideration of local conditions. All Zarooq cars can be used both on city roads and in off-road and desert conditions.

Zhi Nuo

The German-Chinese joint venture Zhi Nuo is a joint venture between BMW and Brilliance Automotive. The new car brand was founded in 2013 to produce luxury cars for the Chinese domestic market. The first line of cars were the Zinoro models developed by Brilliance Automotive as premium electric cars. They were the first cars on the market that featured a combination of “owner care,” respectability, and modernity.

Zhongtong

The Chinese bus brand Zhongtong Bus Holding Co., Ltd. was founded in 1958 in Liaocheng, China. Today, it is the largest manufacturer in the country. In the period of its formation, the brand was engaged in the production and repair of automobiles. In 1971, it was reoriented to the production of buses. The current name – Zhongtong Bus – was approved in 1998. The company’s model range includes light 6-meter buses, medium-sized general-purpose buses, and 18-meter-long luxury models represented by various modifications. The production line is currently supplemented with trolleybuses. In 2021, a modern prototype LCK6126E was presented.

ZAZ

ZAZ (Zaporozhye Automobile Plant) – known in Soviet times as AvtoZAZ is the manufacturer of the “people’s” compact car Zaporozhets. Today, the company, founded in 1923 in the USSR, is located in the same city and at the same facilities – in Zaporozhye, but only in the state of Ukraine. Before the crisis in the country, the company produced buses, trucks, and Chevrolet cars. Now, the production exists by assembling Russian-made cars from supplied components. By 2022, it plans to produce Mercedes buses under contract with the brand.

Zotye Auto

Zotye Auto is a private Chinese automobile manufacturing company founded in 2005 by Ying Jianren in Yongkang, Zhejiang Province, China. The brand is part of the Zotye Holding Group. The company gained fame due to mass copying of the best car models of the world’s leading brands and producing them under different brands of its own design. Initially, the company produced auto parts and gradually moved to the production of finished cars. The first was the Zotye RX6400 SUV, which became the Zotye Nomad after being licensed from Daihatsu. In 2021, the brand announced bankruptcy proceedings.

Zastava

In 1953, the Yugoslavian automobile brand Zastava was founded in Kragujevac, Serbia. Today, it is a joint venture between the state of Serbia and Fiat. Based on Fiat, the brand has been building its cars since 1955 and distributing them in the European market. In the 1970s, the market expanded to North and South America. In 2008, the company was reoriented to the production of weapons – combat and sports, as the country’s car production did not meet the needs of the EU.

Zagross Khodro

Zagross Khodro, founded in Boroujerd in 1996, is an Iranian manufacturer of cars for the domestic market. The brand is headquartered in Tehran, Iran. In close cooperation with the New Zealand company Proton, Proton Wira and Proton Gen-2 models were created in various modifications – sedans and hatchbacks. Today, the capacity of the brand allows the production of up to 50 thousand cars per year. The company is looking for joint ventures for the production of cars, which, in the future, will be ready to offer for assembly at its plants.

Zbrojovka Brno

Czech manufacturer Zbrojovka Brno was founded in the 19th century in Austria-Hungary as a defense factory, “Austro-Hungarian Artillery Factory,” which produced artillery guns. In 1918, after nationalization, the company was renamed the Czechoslovak Arms Factory in Brno. Today, this brand is known for the variety of its products – firearms, agricultural machinery, computing equipment, and office equipment. After the construction of a new factory in 1924, production of Zbrojovka Z 5 cars and Z 18 light trucks began. After the war, production of Zetor Z-25 tractors was started. Today, the defense part is closed.

Zedel

Zedel was a Swiss automobile manufacturer from 1901 to 1908. It was founded by Ernest Zürcher and Hermann Lüthi as Zürcher & Lüthi & Cie SA in St. Aubin-Soge. The company was engaged in the production of motorcycle engines. In 1903, a new production facility was opened in Pontarlier on the French side. Having gained unrestricted access to French automobile developers and facilities, the founder closed the Swiss branch. During this period, the brand produced cars under the Zedels brand name. Having ceased development in 1908, the brand sold its cars until 1919.

ZiL

The ZiL Automobile Company was the successor to the Russian government’s program to establish automobile production in the country in 1916. In 1933, the plant became ZiS, and in 1954, it was named after the first Soviet leader and became the Likhachev plant, earning the acronym ZiL, whose line of trucks is now known worldwide.

Zimmer

The American automobile manufacturing company Zimmer from Syracuse, New York, was founded in 1978 by Paul Zimmer as Zimmer Motorcars Corporation. It was the basis for the creation of non-classical cars. During the ten years of its existence, the brand produced 1,500 cars. The chassis and transmission from the Ford Mustang were used to create the famous Golden Spirit. In 1984, a two-seat luxury car, the Pontiac Fiero Quicksilver, was released. In 1988, the company was shut down. In 1996, Art Zimmer’s namesake founded a new company, Zimmer Motorcars, buying back the name. In 1997, the brand became Zimmer Motor Car Company, with an office in Jamesville, New York.

ZIS

Under the ZIS brand, for some time in the USSR, cars were produced which bore the name of Stalin – the then head of state. Founded in the Russian Empire in 1916 as a Russian-foreign joint venture, it was focused on the defense industry. After the Civil War, it began to produce light trucks AMO. In 1933, the plant was reorganized and named after Stalin, and its products acquired the abbreviation “ZIS.” After Stalin’s death in 1954, the plant was renamed in honor of Likhachev – its first head. The logo became the name “ZIL”.

Zundapp

Zundapp is a German manufacturing company from Nuremberg, Germany, founded in 1917 by Fritz Neumeier. The brand is one of the leading manufacturers of motorcycles, scooters, and sewing machines in the country. It took its place among German automakers thanks to the Zündapp Janus, a small mini-car produced for one year in 1957. It became the company’s only product of this type. Its production was driven by the search for new directions after the war. The Dornier Delta prototype was used to develop the model.

Zust

Zust is an Italian automobile company originally called Züst, which was founded by Swiss-born Italian Roberto Züst in 1905. The founder began building experimental cars in 1900 in Milan. The basis was his factory of high-precision tools in Intra. The first cars were characterized by bulky and high prices. Three years later, less heavy 5-liter cars such as the Zust 28/45 HP were created. In 1906, a parallel company, Brixia-Zust, was opened, which closed in 1912. The main factory in Milan was sold. In 1917, the company was bought by Officine Meccaniche, under whose name the S305 model was produced.

Zyrus Engineering

Zyrus Engineering is a small Norwegian car manufacturing and engineering company based in Oslo, Norway. It became known for its high-speed cars, Huracan Super Trofeo and Performance, and participation in the most extreme racing series. The company’s first practical experience was the Huracan LP640-4 Performante car. The brand’s first car was the Super Trofeo Zyrus LP1200 Strada prototype. The latter created a tuning division, which carried out point refinements, allowing the achievement of a unique design for each developed or modified model.

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