G-Class Looking Towards an All-Electric Future in the 2020s
Once considered for the chopping block in light of Mercedes’s electrification efforts, G-Class now part of the future.
The G-Class is one of Mercedes-Benz’s most iconic vehicles, helped by the fact that its overall boxy two-box design hasn’t changed in the four decades it has been in production. And though there have a few attempts to replace it, the timeless SUV continues to hold its place in the company’s lineup, thanks to the many fans its has in Hollywood, government, and beyond.
According to Electrek, the G-Class will continue to have a place in the 2020s, as Mercedes plans to add the icon to its electrification efforts, instead of closing the chapter on the SUV’s life.
”There will be a zero-emission EV version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class,” said Mercedes boss Ola Källenius, via a tweet by Daimler AG digital transformation chief Sascha Pallenberg. “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 push towards electrifying the G-Class began back in January 2018, when, according to Automotive News, none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger asked then-Daimler CEO Dieter “Dr. Z” Zietch if electrification would come to the venerable SUV. The duo were on stage at Detroit’s Michigan Theater at the time to introduce the redesigned 2019 G-Class to the world.
Zietch’s response? “We said the entire portfolio,” in reference to Mercedes’s pledge to introduce electric versions of their vehicles across the entire range. Källenius added that Schwarzenegger (who had his G-Class electrified by Kreisel Electric in 2017, according to Road & Track) and other G-Class fans should “watch this space” for the good news.
The pledge became reality this year with the first of the new EQ sub-brand models, the 2020 EQC SUV. The SUV’s electric powerplant delivers 402 horses and 564 lb-ft of torque to the pavement below, with a range between 277 and 293 miles, and a charging time from 10% to 80% in 40 minutes.
With the goal of building 50 electric vehicles by 2022, it stands to reason the G-Class will be in excellent company when its turn to embrace electrons comes around.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
