Mercedes-Benz will preview the long-mooted electrification of its G-Class SUV with a concept at the Munich motor show that will spearhead the roll-out of a 4×4 sub-brand.
It has been nearly two years since CEO Ola Källenius confirmed that the Magna-built Land Rover Defender rival – launched in 1979 as the G-Wagen – would gain an allelectric variant, also predicting that “the last Mercedes built will be a G-Class”.
A production version is due in 2024, by which point most of the mainstream models in the Mercedes line-up will be available with electric power.
The Munich show car is expected to reveal how the G-Class will be restyled and reconfigured for the electric age, with design and interior cues that closely preview the final production model – much like how 2019’s Vision EQS concept proved a prelude to the new EQS luxury limousine.
Given how subtly the G-Class has evolved since its arrival 42 years ago, it is unlikely that Mercedes will reinvent its characteristically rugged two-box design, but a host of new styling cues that bring it into line with other EQ-badged models are expected.
A new-shape, one-piece front grille will be the chief differentiator over the ICE-powered car, as is the case for the GLB-based EQB, but new wheel designs and light clusters and a revamped rear end will help to distinguish the EQG from the G-Class.
The EQG’s off-road potential was demonstrated in 2020 by the EQC 4×4² concept – an outlandish one-off reworking of Mercedes’ first bespoke EV, which served as a technical showcase for a family of new electric off-roaders that the firm will sell under its newly formed G sub-brand.
Raised suspension and chunky black lower-body trim were the obvious visual giveaways, but it was the ground clearance-enhancing portal axles (lifted from the jacked-up G500 4×4²) and increased track widths that transformed the luxury-focused EQC into a capable off-roader and most heavily previewed the capabilities of the EQG.
Development engineer Jürgen Eberle acknowledged that there “remains great enthusiasm for traditional off-roaders” and said the EQC 4×4² showed that such cars can be “fully electric but with EQC 4×4² concept showed ability of BEV off-roaders the ability to go off road in a serious way”, suggesting such a formula is high on the list of priorities for the EQG.