Pint-size Mercedes-Benz g-Class confirmed

It seems Mercedes-Benz is going Jeep Wrangler and possibly even Suzuki Jimny hunting, following official confirmation than an all-new downsized G-Class is indeed in the pipeline.

Details of the baby G-Wagen – which was teased by a solitary silhouette sketch underlined by the ‘g-Class’ caption at Munich’s IAA Mobility show overnight – are few and far between at the moment, but Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius promised it will be worth the wait.

In an interview with Bloomberg over the weekend, the Benz boss said the little G would be a “son or daughter” of the iconic full-size “big G”.

“The G-Wagon is an icon… it’s almost impossible to get one… it’s sold out,” he said.

“But yes, tonight we are announcing, for all the G fans out there, there will be a little G – a son or daughter of the iconic big G.

“We have not announced timing yet, but if you wait for something good it will be worth the wait.”

Odds are the ‘g-Class’ will be underpinned by the German car-maker’s upcoming MMA platform, which is created primarily as an EV architecture but will still be able to accommodate combustion engines.

The next-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan is expected to be the first model to appear on the new platform, followed in quick succession by the new GLA/EQA and GLB/EQB and then the baby G-Class, while the A-Class and B-Class will be axed by 2025.

Given the G-Class has forged its iconic status solely off the back of internal combustion, we expect core g-Class variants to be powered by mild-hybrid four-cylinder turbo-petrol engines, although the all-new model is likely to debut in flagship battery-electric form as a smaller sibling for the Mercedes-Benz EQG.

All-wheel drive is likely for all versions of the rugged new small SUV, which could eventually spawn a savage AMG performance variant potentially powered by electrified 2.0-litre four-cylinder powertrains like the new C 63 S E Performance’s inane 500kW/1020Nm plug-in hybrid system or at least the new C 43’s 300kW/500Nm mild-hybrid engine.

It remains to be seen exactly where the baby G will be positioned in terms of size and price relative to the small GLA and the mid-size GLB and GLC, but it’s unlikely to become Mercedes-Benz’s smallest or cheapest SUV.

Either way, mini-G styling and more off-road capability is likely to make the g-Class a sellout success whatever it costs and whenever it arrives, given demand for the full-size G 63.

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