Mercedes-Benz G-Class prices hiked again

Mercedes-Benz G-Class prices have increased again, with the G 400d now costing $246,500 plus on-road costs and the G 63 AMG now priced at a cool $314,897 plus ORCs.

In the case of the diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz G 400d, which was launched in Australia just last week, that marks a $12,600 increase on the original price of $233,900 announced back in March.

But the price of the petrol V8-powered Mercedes-AMG G 63 has gone up almost $16,000 following the fourth price hike since it arrived in Australia in December 2018, when it was launched at $247,700 plus ORCs.

And both G-Class models remain unavailable to order while Mercedes-Benz attempts to catch up with unprecedented demand for the second-generation G-Wagen, both here and overseas.

Mercedes-Benz Australia temporarily closed the order book for the G 63 in July, when waiting lists already stretched out to late 2022, and now the G 400d is also unavailable to configure on the German car-maker’s website due to a backlog of orders.

At the time, company spokesman Ryan Lewis said Mercedes made the tough decision to stop taking new orders for the 430kW V8 off-roader until there was more certainty around production allocations and therefore local delivery times.

“As a result of demand we are currently facing extensive delivery wait times for new orders of the Mercedes-AMG G 63,” he said.

“In order to provide a proper level of customer certainty and satisfaction, Mercedes-Benz Australia has placed a hold on further G 63 backorders at this stage. Our current focus is effectively managing the fulfilment of existing backorders based on production allocation.”

Originally, Mercedes-Benz Australia forecast it would sell about 100 G 63s annually. But last year it sold 270 G-Class vehicles and that figure has already been eclipsed so far this year with sales of both models topping 420 to August.

The latest G-Class – only the second all-new version since 1979 – has been a smash-hit globally since it went on sale three years ago, with more than 7700 sold in the US last year and the blocky 4x4 also selling strongly in China and Russia.

But production restraints resulting from the global semi-conductor shortage and increasing competition for allocations from the factory at Graz in Austria have made supplies tight, which is partly to blame for the price hikes.

“Although I’m unable to give specific details about how vehicle pricing is determined, I can confirm that due to the level of demand globally it has been necessary to increase the vehicle price of the Mercedes-AMG G 63 to ensure its ongoing availability in the Australian market,” Lewis told carsales in July.

There is no word on when order books will reopen for either the G 400d, which is powered by a 243kW/700Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel, or the G 63, which packs a 430kW/850Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8.

How much does the 2021 Mercedes-Benz G-Class cost?
400d – $246,500
G 63 AMG – $314,897
* Prices exclude on-road costs