Mercedes to introduce baby G-Wagen

An exclusive model preferred by celebrities and millionaires will get a new lease on life with a more affordable version pitched at a broader audience.

Mercedes-Benz EQG concept.

Mercedes-Benz will produce a smaller, battery-powered version of its G-Class, the boxy off-roader that has barely changed in the 40-plus years since it first went on sale.

The scaled down G-Class EV will have cross-country capability similar to its legendary big brother, promised Emmerich Schiller, head of the off-road vehicles division of Mercedes-Benz.

“Otherwise it would be fake,” he said. “And we are not faking.”

Mercedes-Benz will build a smaller version of the 2021 EQG concept.

The surprise announcement of the project was made by Mercedes-Benz chairman Ola Källenius as he closed his presentation of the company’s main show car at the IAA Mobility expo in Munich.

The ‘Baby G’ will have electric power.

“There will be a smaller version of one of our most iconic shapes,” said Källenius. “Yes, there will be a little G.”

“The little G will be electric, it will be capable, and it will be instantly recognisable,” he continued, hinting that the new vehicle will adopt the square and simple exterior design of the full-size G-Class.

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“And it will be a lot of fun to drive, both on and off the road. That’s a promise.”

This means the little G is likely to adopt many of the technologies and features of the full-size G-Class EV that’s in the works. It will be called the EQG, in line with Mercedes-Benz’s naming system for its EVs.

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“The car is almost ready,” Schiller said, referring to the EQG.

“The development process is finalised. At the moment we are in the testing phase and certification phase, and we will start production in 2024. The customers will get the car from the middle of next year.”

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It will be built in right-hand drive from the start, he said.

Schiller discussed some of the features that will make the electric EQG as capable as the petrol- and diesel-powered versions already in production.

“We didn’t want to make any compromises on off-road (ability). Therefore we had to design a dedicated electric G-Class drivetrain.”

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“One of the major things is that we have three motors, close to the wheels, which can be steered separately.” By turning the wheels on one side of the vehicle forwards and those on the other side backwards, the EQG can rotate on the spot, Schiller said, in a manoeuvre Mercedes-Benz calls a “G-turn”.

The executive also confirmed the EQG will have a low-range gear for extreme off-road driving. Its battery pack will be enclosed and protected by the vehicle’s ladder-frame chassis, and will be completely waterproofed. Like ICE-powered versions of the G-Class, the EQG will be able to safely wade through water up to 80cm deep, he said.

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“It’s quite a big battery,” Schiller said. “We need it for that car.” The EQG will be heavier than other versions, but well under Europe’s 3.5-tonne maximum weight limit for drivers with a car licence.

Despite its heavyweight toughness, the EQG won’t be able to tow. “It was a decision we had to take due to range, because when you tow you have a tremendous reduction in range,” Schiller explained.