The Forgotten 1981 Concept Car You’d Never Guess Was A Mercedes – SlashGear

The engine on this mini was a three cylinder 1.0-liter pony kicking out 40 horsepower (via Motor1). Again, this two-seater was meant to drive down to the store for a few bags of groceries — and not much more, considering it lacked interior space — and scoot back home.

The NAFA had front-wheel drive, automatic transmission, and four-wheel power steering (via Motor1). Additionally, the doors didn’t swing out conventionally. Instead, they slid forward to keep with “city car designed to fit on congested streets and in tight spaces” mantra Mercedes wanted. As the doors slid, a clever design choice automatically folded the side mirrors out so they wouldn’t get smashed (via Honda). The sliding door would eventually find its way into Peugot’s 1007 (via Dyler) some 23 years later.

Alas, the NAFA never made it into production because the German automaker couldn’t get it up to snuff safety-wise (via Motor1). However, many of NAFA’s concepts made their way into the Smart ForTwo and the Smart City Coupe later down the line, while other lessons it learned in the NAFA’s development found their way into the design of the first-generation of A-Class cars.