A total of 38,173 Trabants were registered in the past 10 years. By contrast, only about 34,000 Teslas were registered.

"Apparently, some of the old two-strokes have been given a new lease on life in recent years," said Ferdinand Dudenhöffer of the Center for Automotive Research said. The number of cars made by Sachsenring, the state carmaker of the German Democratic Republic, that were registered has increased by 3,000 in the past decade. 

Volkswagens remain the most popular car in Germany, despite the VW emissions cheating scandal that erupted half a decade ago. Every fifth car on Germany's roads was produced by the Wolfsburg-based company.