Private company

Framo

Logo: FRAMO GmbH, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons3

German vehicle manufacturer

Framo is a German manufacturer of trucks. It was established by Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, the founder of DKW, in 1923. The company made minivans, motor tricycles and cars and was based in Saxony, Germany.2 It ceased to exist in 1957.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1923Founded1
  • Industryautomotive industry1
  • HeadquartersHainichen1
  • Founded inFrankenberg1
  • Legal formGesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung1
2020-06-12 Sächsisches Nutzfahrzeugmuseum Hartmannsdorf 25
Photo: Stefan Kühn, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Framo is a German manufacturer of trucks. It was established by Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, the founder of DKW, in 1923. The company made minivans, motor tricycles and cars and was based in Saxony, Germany. Framo became the core of the Barkas minivan manufacturer in 1957.2

The story

Formation

Framo was founded by the Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen and two colleagues (Paul Figura, and Richard Blau) as a components supplier in 1923. At this time, the company was called Metall-Werke Frankenberg GmbH and located in Frankenberg, Saxony. Rasmussen had earlier founded DKW, and the Framo factory was created to produce components for DKW motorcycles. Rasmussen played an important role in the establishment of the Auto Union group, and DKW is represented by one ring of the four rings of the Audi brand today.

The production of a motorized freight trike (TV 300) started in Frankenberg in 1927. The idea was to combine a motorcycle with a cargo area. The tricycles were equipped with a one-cylinder-two-stroke engine made by DKW. Framo's lightweight and affordable motorized freight trikes were popular with craftsmen and tradesmen. Based on this success, the models ZW 200, LT 200, LTH 200 and LTH 300 were developed.

Reformation in 2014

In 2014, in Langenbernsdorf, Germany, Framo GmbH was founded, and produces electric trucks.

From Wikipedia’s article on Framo (car), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • car

Listed on Wikidata.1

In 1934, the company moved to Hainichen and was subsequently rebranded as FRAMO-Werke GmbH, Hainichen. Framo is a made-up word based on FRAnkenberg and MOtorenwerk (engine plant). At this point, the company was already employing 700 workers. 1934 also saw the development of compact cars. First, the tricycle Stromer FP 200 was released. Its successors Piccolo VH 200 and Piccolo VH 300 had four wheels. Overall, the cars were not a huge success.

Following up on the earlier success of the motorized freight trikes, a new line of minivans with four wheels was introduced in 1938. The first model was called V 500.

From Wikipedia’s article on Framo (car), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded by Barkas1

Timeline

  1. 1957Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1923Founded Founded in Frankenberg1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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