It was 1994 when Mercedes-Benz revealed at the “Family Car” exhibition in Beijing a compact prototype exclusively developed for the Chinese market at that time. It’s name: Mercedes-Benz FCC Concept.
Back in the 90’s, Mercedes-Benz established an integrated motorizaton strategy for China which was later on presented to the Chinese government. And the FCC concept had a pivotal role in Mercedes’ plans.
The FCC letters stand for “Family Car China”. The prototype was capable of being built in a variety of different versions and its main features were its large interior space within compact exterior dimensions, high comfort standards and overall quality.
The FCC concept could be shaped as a people carrier, as a pick-up or as a panel van, and was powered by a four-stroke three-cylinder engine running on gasoline. The 1.3-liter engine developed 55 hp which were sent to the front axle via a manual transmission system.
The prototype was able to accelerate from o t0 50 km/h in less than six seconds, making it an interesting solution for urban environments, as well as a theoretical top speed of around 150 km/h and a fuel consumption of four liters per 100 km.
Regarding the interior, the FCC Concept also featured a sandwich floor, which was later introduced in 1998 on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W168).
The body was designed to respect the one-box styling and had practical benefits, as the driver front passenger and up to three rear-seated passengers enjoyed the standards of an upper mid-range sedan. However, the FCC was shorter than normal compact cars at that time, with an overall length of 3.56 meters.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
