Mercedes-Benz is going to make owning a G-Wagen a little bit easier, with plans to build a smaller, more budget-friendly version of the boxy off-roader that's a status vehicle beloved by celebrities including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kim Kardashian, Chief Executive Officer Ola Källenius said Sunday.
The vehicle will be electric and “fun to drive — on and off the road,” Källenius said at an event ahead of the Munich Auto Show. He said he views the "Mini-G" as the "daughter or son of the big-G." Specifically, the car, being electric, would be more of a spinoff of the all-electric EQG. Mercedes plans to start sales of the G-Class EV next year.
German news outlets have long reported that has been pushing hard for a Mini-G, and it has been on the drawing board for years. This Autoblog report from back in February has more background on the subject. The outlet Automobilwoche reporting from Munich says the little G could even be designated with a little "g," as in "g-Class."
The current Gelanderwagen is among Mercedes’ most expensive and profitable models. A “Baby” G-Wagen would compete with models like the Ford Bronco and likely cost significantly less than the current version, which starts at around $139,000 in the U.S. and can go up significantly from there.
It’s unclear when the smaller G-Wagen will hit the market, but probably 2026 at at the earliest.
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