The Mercedes G-Class will eventually be fully electric, according to Daimler boss Ola Kallenius.
Kallenius confirmed the electric variant at yesterday’s AMW Kongress in Berlin, soundbites of which were subsequently tweeted by Daimler digital transformation boss Sascha Pallenberg. This is the first time the company has gone on the record to confirm the car. Little is known at present about the zero-emissions G-Class, which is expected to be a number of years away, other than that it will swap the current diesel V6 and petrol V8 for a 100% electric powertrain. However, some details may be deduced from other Mercedes EV models.
#Daimler CEO Källenius: ”There will be a zero-emission #EV version of the #MercedesBenz G-Class. 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" #AMWKongress #eMobility pic.twitter.com/tAS6tzpR3Y
— Sascha Pallenberg 潘賞世 (@sascha_p) November 7, 2019Following the approach used for other, already announced models in Mercedes’ EQ electric sub-brand, such as the EQA and the EQC, the new car could be sold under the name EQG and feature bespoke body styling as a result. Like the EQS, the electric G-Class is likely to be introduced with four-wheel drive and generate its power from two electric motors - one at the car’s front and another giving thrust at the rear.
Although Mercedes has yet to release official specs, it's likely an electric G-Class will improve on the 282bhp and 443lb ft of torque generated by the standard version of the car. It will need to as well, because it will be considerably heavier.
In terms of range, the new car could sit somewhere between the 249-mile capability of the upcoming EQA and what Autocar UK expects to be the longer, 370-mile range of the EQE electric saloon.
However, this increased performance - if it materialises - will almost certainly come at an increased cost. The EQG will likely be the most expensive G-Class variant, because the G-Class is a heavy-set car and will therefore require a bigger and pricier battery pack.
Mercedes has not specified a launch date for the new car, saying only that it is “a long way in the future”.