Can you import a G from overseas brand new?
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Any foreign manufactured vehicle must comply with all U.S. safety and emission standards. MB has temporarily shut down its V8 vehicle sales here, perhaps due to materials shortage, perhaps due to compliance issues. If you can't buy an MB from MBUSA, you probably can't buy one from MBAG, unless you move to Stuttgart.
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You certainly can, but if it isn't homologated in the USA, then you'll have to bare the cost of getting it homologated and that's not cheap. So any model/model year that MBUSA isn't already selling currently or has sold in the past will not be homologated.
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G550
Would be nearly impossible without spending a ridiculous amount of time and money. Better off paying $50-100k ADM.
USA market version has the special NHTSA and EPA labels on it. Even if it’s exactly the same as a car destined for another market, you will have to get the car individually certified for both. Only certain specialized shops are approved for such work so you can imagine what they would charge you.
I think even Canada market vehicles wouldn’t have the labels on them.
USA market version has the special NHTSA and EPA labels on it. Even if it’s exactly the same as a car destined for another market, you will have to get the car individually certified for both. Only certain specialized shops are approved for such work so you can imagine what they would charge you.
I think even Canada market vehicles wouldn’t have the labels on them.
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2020 G63
I don't think it will be a big issue. We are doing this in the EU all the time with American cars and we have more strict eco-regulations. The G-wagon is sold in US so just different set of taillights re-program the display to MPH and you are good to go.
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This doesn't address why MB is not importing Gs and most of its V8 equipped vehicles in 2022. The best reasoning I've read is that the V8s are diluting the fleet-wide fuel efficiency requirements that MB (and all large vehicle makers) must meet. If end-running U.S. rules is possible merely by individual buyers importing directly from Europe, MBAG would be facilitating the ordering and delivery process. MBAG/MBUSA will eventually have to announce to investors the financial impact of no V8 sales in NA next year, and the why for. Guaranteed it's not because V8 sales here have died because of Tesla.
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Importing a car that isn't more than 25 years old from any country other than Canada into the USA is going to be nearly impossible. This is buy design to prevent gray market cars from sidelining official importers (like MBUSA.)
Show and display will not work either since they sell the G wagen in the US and it won't be able to get past the requirement that the vehicle is significant and unique but not sold in the US.
As for V8s, MBUSA just announced the new SL which will go on sale in the spring with two models both with V8s (and no other engine announced yet): https://media.mbusa.com/releases/rel...ion-of-an-icon . I suspect the G63 will be back soon in 2022 (maybe by spring?).
Show and display will not work either since they sell the G wagen in the US and it won't be able to get past the requirement that the vehicle is significant and unique but not sold in the US.
As for V8s, MBUSA just announced the new SL which will go on sale in the spring with two models both with V8s (and no other engine announced yet): https://media.mbusa.com/releases/rel...ion-of-an-icon . I suspect the G63 will be back soon in 2022 (maybe by spring?).
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Importing a car that isn't more than 25 years old from any country other than Canada into the USA is going to be nearly impossible. This is buy design to prevent gray market cars from sidelining official importers (like MBUSA.)
As for V8s, MBUSA just announced the new SL which will go on sale in the spring with two models both with V8s (and no other engine announced yet): https://media.mbusa.com/releases/rel...ion-of-an-icon . I suspect the G63 will be back soon in 2022 (maybe by spring?).
As for V8s, MBUSA just announced the new SL which will go on sale in the spring with two models both with V8s (and no other engine announced yet): https://media.mbusa.com/releases/rel...ion-of-an-icon . I suspect the G63 will be back soon in 2022 (maybe by spring?).
"At a later date, we will also offer the SL as a powerful Performance hybrid drive. The AMG E PERFORMANCE drive strategy is based on the guiding principle of offering an electrified powertrain that further enhances driving dynamics while also being highly efficient."
Perhaps the same plan applies to all the other V8s, including the G.
MBUSA has in the past offered a European delivery plan, but surely this doesn't apply to vehicles not being imported into the U.S.
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From: Mercer Island, WA
Current: 2020 G63, 2013 G550, Bentley Continental GT Speed
The press release does mention a planned performance hybrid:
"At a later date, we will also offer the SL as a powerful Performance hybrid drive. The AMG E PERFORMANCE drive strategy is based on the guiding principle of offering an electrified powertrain that further enhances driving dynamics while also being highly efficient."
Perhaps the same plan applies to all the other V8s, including the G.
MBUSA has in the past offered a European delivery plan, but surely this doesn't apply to vehicles not being imported into the U.S.
"At a later date, we will also offer the SL as a powerful Performance hybrid drive. The AMG E PERFORMANCE drive strategy is based on the guiding principle of offering an electrified powertrain that further enhances driving dynamics while also being highly efficient."
Perhaps the same plan applies to all the other V8s, including the G.
MBUSA has in the past offered a European delivery plan, but surely this doesn't apply to vehicles not being imported into the U.S.
Yeah with Euro delivery they are full US spec models just initially delivered in Germany and you save some money (since MB gets to pay less tariffs since you are importing a 'used car'). I hear pre-pandemic that there was euro delivery program in planning for the G wagen but I think that is gone (since MB canceled Euro delivery completely.) That would have been great.
I think they will skip the e-hybrid and just have good ol' V8s and full electric. But that is just me making stuff up. ha.
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Yeah with Euro delivery they are full US spec models just initially delivered in Germany and you save some money (since MB gets to pay less tariffs since you are importing a 'used car'). I hear pre-pandemic that there was euro delivery program in planning for the G wagen but I think that is gone (since MB canceled Euro delivery completely.) That would have been great.
I think they will skip the e-hybrid and just have good ol' V8s and full electric. But that is just me making stuff up. ha.
I think they will skip the e-hybrid and just have good ol' V8s and full electric. But that is just me making stuff up. ha.
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G550
Right, ED was only possible with cars and configurations that were sold in the USA. They were full US-spec and US homologated models, except for a few minor programming changes while in Europe. The ECU gets programmed for the higher octane fuel available in Europe, and things like the navigation system gets the European maps installed. Once the car arrived at the US VPC, they were reprogrammed for the USA, but they differed in several aspects from the equivalent EU spec cars. For example, EU spec cars have the particulate filters, whereas US spec cars have secondary cats. If left in Europe, an ED car had to be converted and brought in compliance to register it, which is why they got treated as export models with a limited time registration that couldn't be extended.
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2019 C63CS
Yes, different method, but also higher. US spec cars are tuned for 91 AKI, because that's the highest you can get in several states. 91 AKI is roughly equivalent to 95 RON in Europe. That's only midgrade. Premium in Europe is 98 RON and higher. Shell V-Power is 103 RON in Germany for example, which is roughly equivalent to 97 AKI. I don't think you can get 97 octane anywhere in the USA other than as a race fuel.
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This doesn't address why MB is not importing Gs and most of its V8 equipped vehicles in 2022. The best reasoning I've read is that the V8s are diluting the fleet-wide fuel efficiency requirements that MB (and all large vehicle makers) must meet. If end-running U.S. rules is possible merely by individual buyers importing directly from Europe, MBAG would be facilitating the ordering and delivery process. MBAG/MBUSA will eventually have to announce to investors the financial impact of no V8 sales in NA next year, and the why for. Guaranteed it's not because V8 sales here have died because of Tesla.
plenty of articles from amg stating it is a quality issue with the v8 engine.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a37690611/why-did-mercedes-cancel-v8s/
Last edited by sodhigtc; Nov 2, 2021 at 02:12 PM.
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plenty of articles from amg stating it is a quality issue with the v8 engine.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a3...es-cancel-v8s/
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a3...es-cancel-v8s/
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Adding an even more interesting twist is that the AMG SL55 and SL63 will apparently be available for MY22 with the 4 liter AMG engines
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S560
I owned a grey market Honda Prelude and learned the hard way the drivers door glass was different size than US model. Canadian model was also different from US and euro.
some one broke my glass to steal from my car and ended up not being able to use it for over a month due to it being January and not able to get the proper glass.
Lucky for me a cousin knew an air freight pilot who did a Frankfort to NYC run who had to find a Honda dealer in Frankfurt, but the window and carry it with him on the plane.
Explaining my story to customs at JFK airport was interesting.
They felt bad for me and let me through with no tax or customs declaration.
The car had triple Weber one barrel carbs opposed to a single 3 barrel, level adjustable headlights, read wiper, rear fog lights , more horsepower and metallic brown paint. Very different car than US model. Much more performance oriented (if you can say that) than the us model.
Never again.
some one broke my glass to steal from my car and ended up not being able to use it for over a month due to it being January and not able to get the proper glass.
Lucky for me a cousin knew an air freight pilot who did a Frankfort to NYC run who had to find a Honda dealer in Frankfurt, but the window and carry it with him on the plane.
Explaining my story to customs at JFK airport was interesting.
They felt bad for me and let me through with no tax or customs declaration.
The car had triple Weber one barrel carbs opposed to a single 3 barrel, level adjustable headlights, read wiper, rear fog lights , more horsepower and metallic brown paint. Very different car than US model. Much more performance oriented (if you can say that) than the us model.
Never again.
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Interesting idea -- with a set of brake pads and rotors costing $3500, assembling a G63 from parts would be a multi-million dollar effort.
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If everyone who wants a G could get a G next week at MSRP, nobody would want a G because everybody has one.
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Short answer is it cannot be done.
Long answer would require you to read up on import rules specifically as it relates to NHTSA and EPA guidelines.
In order to do it legit it would probably cost you more than the car is worth.
Even if you were able to sneak it past US Customs, once your state driving authority finds out about it, they might confiscate and destroy the vehicle.
Only exceptions are over 25 years old or show and display exemption which limits mileage pretty significantly but doubtful you could even get such an exemption for a vehicle that is already sold in the USA.
More info here:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/g...-need-to-know/
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