"ZAZ" stands for "Zaporozhsky Avtomobilny Zavod" or "Zaporozhet's Automotive Factory. It was conceived in 1958 as a result of a decision of the Soviet government to build a "people’s car", similar to the Volkswagen Beetle in Germany or the Citroën 2CV in France.
Zündapp is one of the best-known makes of German motorcycles. The company’s first car was in 1931 and it was Ferdinand Porche’s design for a “people’s car.”