They were developed by Eisenwerk Weserhütte of Bad Oeynhausen. Chassis were built by Auto Union in Zwickau and assembled by F. Schichau of Elbing and Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen in Hanover-Linden. It used the standard sPkw I Horch 801 (heavy car) chassis with an angled armoured body and turret. The rear mounted engine was a 67 kW (90 hp) Horch 3.5 petrol engine, giving it a road speed of km/h (mph) and a cross-country speed of km/h (mph). It had a maximum range of km (mi). The Sdkfz 222 was examined by Soviet designers before they created the similar BA-64 light armoured car.