Kragujevac was the most important city for the automobile industry in Serbia. The Zastava factory produced various car models, mostly licensed by Fiat, and employed more than 10,000 workers.

In the city of Kragujevac toward the end of the 20th-century, it wasn't uncommon to have a family member or neighbor that worked at Zastava. Although the factory has since sold to Fiat and changed its name, most of the local residents still call it Zastava. It remains the city's most recognizable brand.  

Zastava automobiles were so important to the city that many of the gravestones in Varoško Groblje (city cemetery) feature stone models or images of the cars crafted at Zastava. Zastava 750, nicknamed "Fića", and Zastava 101, nicknamed "Stojadin", were the most successful models and most often appear on gravestones. Many of those buried whose graves feature a car worked at the factory.