Though never sold in North America, Mercedes-Benz has been producing a front-wheel drive, subcompact car called the A-Class for international markets since 1997. Though Mercedes had never built a small vehicle like this before, it was keen to uphold its image of safety. The A-Class’ claim to fame was its “sandwich” construction chassis, which enabled the engine and transmission to slide under the vehicle in the event of a serious frontal collision. On the contrary, the tiny Merc gained notoriety when the vehicle overturned during an elk avoidance test conducted by Teknikens Vard, the Swedish equivalent of Consumer Report.
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