Between 1997 and 2004, almost 1.1 million W168 cars were produced in Germany.
The NAFA concept was a proposal by Mercedes for a small city car. However, it didn’t become a production model. The Vision A 93 Concept was revealed to set the foundation for the new A-Class (W168) in 1993. Mercedes officially reduced its size at the 1997 Geneva Motor Show when the “incredibly compact car” was unveiled in production form.
The original A Class featured more than 20 technological innovations, including a new body shell that uses the sandwich principle. To put it another way, the car had a cavity between its floor plate and its passenger compartment in order to increase safety in the event of a crash. Engineers were also able to use the new layout to install other drive systems such as battery packs or hydrogen tanks.
Mercedes remembers that the first-generation A-Class was one the most versatile vehicles at the time it was launched two decades ago. There were 72 seating options available. The cargo volume was 390 liters when all five of the seats are in place, or 1,340 liters when they are folded down. The car also featured a removable front passenger seat, which increased the available space by no less than 1,740 Liters. A long-wheelbase derivative (V168) was also introduced in the facelift for the 2001 model year.
The W168 is large in space, despite its small size. It was also extremely safe, prompting the company’s statement that it “was of equal high standard as the exemplary E-Class.”
Mercedes produced almost 1.1million units of the A-Class’s first generation at its Rastatt, Germany factory. The model was then phased out in May 2004, however. Up to September 2005, an additional 63 448 cars were built at the Juiz de Fora Brazilian plant.
The W169, which was launched in 2004, was still available up until 2012, when it was replaced with the W176. Spy shots show that work is underway on the fourth-gen model and the new A-Class will likely debut next year.