The car was launched as a two- or four-door saloon with an all-steel body built around a central steel frame, which bears a resemblance to a 1949 Ford.

The wings were fully integrated into the bodywork, and the passenger cabin filled the full width of the car.

At a time when competitor vehicles from Opel Olympia and Mercedes-Benz W136 were still based on conventional looking prewar designs, the interior width of the Hansa, emphasized by the inclusion of bench seats both at the back and in the front, attracted favourable press comment.

The driver was faced by a steering wheel linked to its central boss by three sets of four thin spoke like rods.

The design of the steering wheel, reminiscent of the early Porsches, ensured minimal disruption of the view of the instruments behind it.

[7] The Hansa was introduced with a 1498 cc four-cylinder OHV engine providing a claimed power output of 48 bhp (36 kW).

The next year the Hansa 1800 became available with a diesel engine of the same capacity as the petrol / gasoline fuelled unit, but with a power output of 42 bhp (31 kW).