The history of Polish motoring is long and intricate, with many interruptions and good ideas that have not had the opportunity to develop further. Would you like to find out what are the Polish car brands being produced now or the designs of cars that may soon hit the streets of cities? The automotive industry in Poland exists and is waiting to be discovered.
A brief history of Polish car brands
The history of the automotive industry in Poland dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ursus plant began producing the first tractors in 1922. The Central Automobile Workshops were also established at a similar time, servicing military equipment and producing CWS passenger cars - the first Polish car brand.
During the Second Republic there were several car manufacturing companies, in addition Polish car brands were created under foreign licences. At that time there were factories such as K. Rudzki and S-ka, Lilpop, Rau and Loewenstein, State Engineering Works, AS Car Building Society, Ursus and CSW. They were responsible for manufacturing:
- CWS T-1;
- cars under licence from General Motors;
- Fiata 508;
- buses, heavy goods vehicles;
- AS S1 and S2 cars;
- Ursusa A.
Poland, despite many products launched on the market, was not able to compete with giants such as France, Great Britain or Czechoslovakia. This was linked to Poland's history - the damage caused by the First World War and the Polish-Bolshevik War had a significant impact on slower economic development, further hampered by the global crisis of the 1930s.
The years before the outbreak of the Second World War were a renewed period of development for car manufacturing in Poland. During this time, licences were signed with Fiat and General Motors, allowing the production of the Fiat 508, as well as Opel and Chevrolet in Poland.
The next upswing in Polish motorisation came during the communist period. Of the pre-war brands, only Ursus returned to production. New production plants were set up and the most famous Polish car models came out of their belts: Warszawa, Syrena, Fiat 125p, Fiat 126p or Polonez, which were sold for almost the entire duration of the People's Republic of Poland and also exported to Western Europe. Behind the Iron Gate, the equipment and safety level of the Polish car were appreciated above all.
Other products of Polish car brands were Melexes, Mikrusy MR-300 and Hydros cranes.
The most recognisable Polish passenger car became the Maluch, or Fiat 126p - it still has a cult following today. Throughout Poland's history it has become the most produced car - a total of 3,318,647 of these cars hit the streets.
With the change in the political system after 1989, the automotive industry was slowly dying out, largely due to privatisation, as well as economic aspects - production abroad was cheaper and more advanced, and thus cars of Polish design were no longer profitable to produce. New Polish car brands were not created, and what was created in Poland was under foreign licence.
In recent years, production in the country has focused on the development of components and the manufacture of cars such as Fiat, Volkswagen, Opel, MAN, Solaris, Ursus, Volvo and Melex. 
Polish car brand - recent prototypes over a decade
Many prototypes of Polish modern passenger cars are breathing a breath of fresh air into cars that were very well known and loved in their heyday. The Syrenka (Vosco) or the Polonez are to appear on the market again.
New projects that have started in Poland include the production of the Warsaw M20 GT, the Izera, the Triggo electric car, the Arrinera Hussarya or the electric delivery van from Melex. So far, all new Polish cars have not been produced on a large scale; the action has stopped at planning and a vision waiting to be realised. In some cases, there have been pilot productions, prototypes or the search for investors for the whole project.
The concept of the new Polonez is to be based on the prototype from the last century, but made with a premium spirit and design. The new Polonez is to be more than 5 metres long, with a limousine body and a sportback body.
The Izera is a project from ElectroMobility Poland, with two models - a hatchback and an SUV. Production is scheduled to start in 2024. Italian body designers have been engaged for the project, and Tadeusz Jelec, who previously worked with Jaguar, is responsible for the car's interior.
The Triggo is an electric, two-seater, very lightweight microcar, resembling a motorbike on 4 wheels with a cage designed by Rafal Budweil. The microauto will be a fantastic vehicle for the city, due to its size and mobility. Pilot models will appear in late 2021 and early 2022. The Polish vehicle is competing with models of similar size and power from Toyota and Renault, among others.
Polish car brands that can be mass produced?
In the past, the Polish car brand produced in series was the Fiat 126p, as evidenced by a circulation of over 3 million. A car that will be able to appear on Polish roads after leaving the Polish factory is the Vosco S106 Mermaid, which appeared in a combustion version and then an electric version. Between 1,000 and 2,000 units per year are planned for series production. The condition is to finance large-scale production. The electric Triggo is expected to enter series production in 2022.
Polish car brands are somewhat of a fledgling subject, with a huge amount of money to be invested in technology development, innovation and production. This is not an easy task, considering how many years of experience many brands have around the world, and how the market in Poland is again starting from scratch. Interestingly, the bar is set high - the aim is to create cars that meet today's needs and that can be developed in the future.
