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(from Daimler Press
Release) NAFA – the short-distance vehicle
• Research car laid
the groundwork for the A-Class and smart in 1981
• Compact, agile and ergonomically designed
Congested streets,
parking space at a premium and long tailbacks raised new questions
in motor vehicle research. Mercedes-Benz answered them in 1981 with
the concept study “Nahverkehrsfahrzeug”, NAFA for short – the
short-distance vehicle. With an overall length of 2.50 metres and an
overall height and width of 1.50 metres, respectively, the
innovative two-seater contradicted everything the company was known
to stand for to date.
Owing to four-wheel
steering the car could even be parked forwards into tight spaces.
Its turning circle was all of 5.7 metres. Even where the gap to
other vehicles on each side was small, two sliding doors permitted
convenient entry and exit. They opened forwards, and the side mirror
folded in automatically. The car had front-wheel drive and an
automatic transmission. The equipment included air conditioning,
power steering and seat belt tensioners. The comparatively high
seating position, the low waistline and large glazed surfaces made
for an optimal all-round view.
The NAFA study did not
fall into oblivion. The insights it furnished entered into the
design of the A-Class of Mercedes-Benz, the prototype of which
debuted in 1996. And in the smart fortwo, introduced in 1997 as the
smart city coupé, the concept of the compact urban car celebrated
its coming of age and has since been manufactured in large numbers.
