Massive change coming to Mercedes’ biggest, baddest car

The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen is one of the biggest, baddest cars on the planet known for its giant engine and tough off-road ability. But there is a huge change coming.

The toughest, meanest car in the Mercedes-Benz stables is about to get a green heart.

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed its boxy G-Wagen (or G-Class) off-roader will soon be offered as an electric model.

The promise of an electric motor for the G-Class is a long way from the smoky diesels and grunty V8s that have helped create the legend behind the G-Wagen which first appeared in 1979.

The G-Wagen is set to build a zero-emissions version of the vaunted G-Wagen.

Parent company Daimler’s head of digital transformation, Sascha Pallenberg, quoted Daimler chairman Ola Kallenius in a tweet that confirmed an electric G-Class is on the way.

“There will be a zero-emission #EV version of the #MercedesBenz G-Class,” Pallenberg quoted Kallenius as saying at a conference in Berlin last week. “In the past there were discussions whether we should eliminate the model, the way I see things now I’d say the last Mercedes to be built will be a G-Class.”

The G-Wagen started life as a military vehicle.

While the G-Class started life as a military vehicle it quickly turned into a civilian four-wheel drive that was known for its extreme off-road ability.

In has gone on to become a cult car craved by celebrities, rappers, millionaires and anyone else wanting to stand out on the road.

While the G-Class built a reputation for tackling some of the most challenging terrain in the world, many newer models would be lucky to get mud on their tyres, instead bought for their head-turning ability courtesy of the rugged retro design.

The G-Wagen is known for its tough off-road ability.

Versions tweaked by AMG – complete with throaty V8 engines and side exit exhausts – also helped in cementing the G-Class as a must-have accessory for wealthy car lovers.

The latest G-Class arrived in 2018 and it was the first major update since the original of 1979.

However, most people would not pick the difference to look at; while new and old share no panels, the latest model is larger and has subtle exterior tweaks and a tech-infused interior.

Adding an electric drivetrain to the G-Glass will likely make for a very heavy vehicle. The current G63 weighs almost 2.6 tonnes and adding a battery pack will likely add more to that.

Mercedes-Benz is in the throes of an electric transformation.

Later this year the EQC – the first all-electric Mercedes-Benz – will go on sale in Australia.

It is part of the new EQ sub-brand created to promote all-electric and hybrid models.

Mercedes-Benz believes that by 2025 half the cars its sells will be EQ models.

Originally published as Massive change coming to Mercedes’ biggest, baddest car