While most domestic automobile makers were following a "bigger-is-better" philosophy, Nash Motor Company executives were examining the market to offer American buyers an economical transportation alternative.

It was patterned from a concept car, the NXI (Nash Experimental International), that was built by Detroit-based independent designer William J. Flajole for Nash-Kelvinator.

It was displayed at several "surviews" (survey-previews), commencing on 4 January 1950, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, to gauge the reaction of the American motoring public to a car of this size.

The model was named NKI (for Nash-Kelvinator International), and it featured revised styling incorporating a hood blister and rear wheel cutouts.

The only cost-effective option was to build overseas using existing mechanical components (engine, transmission, rear end, suspension, brakes, electrical), leaving only the tooling cost for body panels and other unique elements.

The Nash models, from the Ambassador to the Metropolitan, utilized similar design features, including fully enclosed front wheels, notched "pillow" style door pressing, bar-style grille, etc.

Among these factory-installed benefits for customers were a map light, electric windshield wipers, cigar lighter, and even a "continental-type" rear-mounted spare tire with cover.

To give a "luxury" image to the interior, "Bedford cord" upholstery trimmed with leather was used (similar to larger Nash vehicles).

[13] American Motors' marketing brochures described the new model as "America's entirely new kind of car" (1955), "Luxury in Miniature" (1959), and "crafted for personal transportation" (1960).

He "abused" a 1954 Metropolitan convertible and "got the surprise of my life" when its "performance was far better than I expected", that he "felt very safe in the car", and that "it may well be that Nash has started a new trend in American motoring.

"[22] He added that it was a "nice-handling car with plenty of control and amazing dig, considering it is powered by a small Austin A-40 engine" and that the finish was "very nice", although having no trunk opening except by pulling down the back of the rear seat "poses a problem".

[23] Road & Track's testers also said that the car had "more than its share of roll and wallow on corners" and there was "little seat-of-the-pants security when the rear end takes its time getting back in line".

Admittedly, the short wheelbased Met does pitch moderately on very rough roads, but the sensitivity and ease of steering make driving a pleasure.

[25] In December 1953, two new NKI-branded (serial numbers 1009 and 1013) were driven 800 metres (1 km) from their arrival port to the new Raleigh Speedway in North Carolina to conduct two days of speed endurance and fuel economy evaluation.

New chrome nameplates with the "Metropolitan" name were made to fit into the same holes as the "NKI Custom" script on the passenger side front fender.

Polished stainless steel sweep-spears on the body sides allowed a new two-tone finish to be incorporated, which had the cosmetic effect of lowering, slimming, and lengthening the car.

After VIN E35133 (16 April 1957), the exterior colors were changed to P910 "Sunburst Yellow", P912 "Berkshire Green", and P913 "Mardi-Gras Red" with P914 "Frost White" as a contrast.

By this time, the engine had been upgraded by increasing the compression ratio from 7.2:1 to 8.3:1 (Commenced VIN E43116 — 15 October 1957), rated at 55 bhp (41 kW) (as used in the Austin A55 Cambridge).

[31][32] Named the "Metropolitan Fifth Avenue", the car was finished with 15 hand-rubbed coats of pearl-pink lacquer outside and featured pink-and-white cowhide upholstery and pink fur carpeting.

[31][32] Three other Metropolitan convertibles were prepared with unique region-inspired features by AMC's styling department: "Westerner", "Cape Cod", and the "Royal Runabout" a black-and-gold one-off built for and presented to Britain's Princess Margaret.

A drawing attributed to Richard Arbib, dated 17 January 1956, shows a Metropolitan station wagon with additional fins and sharp edges.

Approximately 95,000 Metropolitans were sold in the United States and Canada, making it one of the top-selling cars to be imported into those countries at the time, and its sales in 1959 helped to spur the introduction of the Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) new compact models.

[citation needed] To establish the production date for a Metropolitan (U.S. and Canadian models only), check the VIN or Serial number on a data plate affixed to the firewall.

[38] The Metropolitan lost market appeal due to increasing competition from AMC's own Rambler American models and newly introduced compact cars from the Big Three.

US-bound Metropolitan production ended in April 1961, as a result of its "marginal sales plus the fact that a four or five-passenger Rambler American could be purchased for only about $100 more".

[40] Comparing the car to police motorcycles, an AMC brochure advertised superior all-weather protection, cost-effectiveness and storage space, and also the safety of single-unit construction.

"[48] In the opinion of syndicated auto journalist and author Bill Vance, the 1,200 cc (73 cu in) Metropolitan "was quite a stylish little car" that was "ahead of its time" and performed well against its competition.

[29] In 1961, the British auto magazine The Autocar tested a 1959 model whose odometer showed 27,124 mi (43,652 km), and recorded a "reasonable" cruising speed of 60 mph, "fairly high" oil consumption of 125 miles per pint, "adequately good" road-holding, "pronounced understeer" in cornering, "good directional stability," "decidedly vague steering," a turning circle that was "stately for such a small car," brakes that were "effective," and remarked on the "unnecessarily high position of the steering-wheel," which interfered with the driver's view of the road.

[51] Ken Gross, a director of the Petersen Automotive Museum, noted that "the softly sprung Met wallows like most larger American cars of its day,"[52] and he has warned against "rust, especially in the floor pan and lower fenders," and "electrical gremlins".

[52] Sewell advises buying the open version in "as late a model as you can (it ceased production in 1961) – this has slightly more panache, and with the hood down, it's much easier to load [at the supermarket]".