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Now named Motorenwerke Zschopau GmbH, MZ which stands for Motorenwerke Zschopau GmbH (Zschopau Engine Factory) is a motorcycle manufacturer based in Zschopau, Saxony, in Germany. The company acquired the moniker MuZ (Motorrad und Zweiradwerk) which translates to ‘motorcycle for motorcycle and Two-wheeler Company’. This name was used from 1992 to 1999. The company was founded by Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen a Dane who bought an empty cloths factory in Zschopau.

In 1907, the company began producing engines for motor-assisted bicycles and ten years later, in 1917 to be precise, Rasmussen created a steam-powered car which was known by the trademark DKW. The company eased into motorcycle manufacturing by releasing two-stroke engines for motorcycles in 1920.

In 1923, the company changed its name to DKW and began racing activities in 1927. MZ acquired the Audi factory at Zwickau and the following year, 60,000 motorcycles left the Zschopau factory. That elevated the company to become the largest motorcycle manufacturer on the globe.

In 1939, the RT125 model was developed but it was not until 1950 that production of the model was started under the brand IFA (Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau) which was the company’s name under the rule of East Germany. The model had been declared patent-free after WWII due to war reparations. It was therefore developed in other countries such as the USA (Harley-Davidson Hummer); Russia (M-1A Moskva); and Britain (BSA Bantam).

The name that the company currently goes by, VEB Motorradwerk Zschopau (MZ) was adopted in 1956. ES 125/ES 150 which was produced in 1962 was the first motorcycle to feature an asymmetric low beam headlight pattern. In 1970, the MZ ETS 250 Trophy Spot, the millionth motorcycle, rolled off the conveyor belt and the two millionth one (MZ ETZ 250) did the same in 1983.

The company was privatized in 1990 and went under receivership in 1993. The ETZ patent was sold to Kanuni, a firm based in Turkey which went on to produce models 251 and 301. What remained of MuZ was bought by the Hong Leong Group of Malaysia in 1996. The U was dropped in 1999 and the company was simply MZ.

On the 9^th of June 2008, Motor Cycle News announced that MZ was to stop operations at the end of the year because financial backing from Malaysia had been stopped due to persisting losses. The company shut its doors on 12^th December 2008. It tried a comeback in 2009 but was closed again in 2012.