All go for G-Wagen?

Local fans of the esteemed G-Wagen will be offered the chance to own the sturdy offroader late this year.

Benz has been courting mining companies for a while now and the company has moved another step closer to committing engineering resource and the factory to the development of a civilian version of the G-Wagen. Previously, the Carsales Network was told that the G-Wagen for the Army doesn't comply with upcoming ADRs, hence the delay in a formal announcement. The latest word from our reliable contacts at Mercedes-Benz Australia is that the G-Wagen or Gelanderwagen as it's affectionately known, will be available from the first quarter of next year, or possibly a little earlier.

It's expected a diesel-powered V6 version, the G350, will be offered as well as a petrol V8 G500. There's even talk that the AMG-developed G55 version will be on offer to high-end Aussie offroaders, on special order only.

The business case for the civilian G-Wagen has been bolstered by the Australian Defence Force's order of 1200 units of the G-Wagen, under the auspices of 'Project Overlander', over a 15-year period.

According to our source at Benz, the ADF's investment has encouraged local interest in private ownership of the G-Class and Mercedes-Benz Australia has been listening...

M-B Australia first investigated the addition of the G-Wagen to the local lineup due to would-be buyer demand back in 2004 -- well before confirmation of the ADF's order. Until the opportunity of the G-Wagen presented itself, local offroaders have had to size-up options such as Benz's GL or the robust Land Rover Discovery.

But demand for the big, blocky G has finally overwhelmed the crew at Mulgrave and we expect some word on the G-Wagen's availability later this year. Interested customers need to sit tight to take deliveries until then, but can talk turkey with Mercedes dealers about ordering the sturdy offroaders from around July...

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