Among certain off-road circles the Mercedes G-Wagon or G-Class is a legend. Here in North America few people dare really try off-roading hard if at all in their luxury SUV. But in other parts of the world the G-Wagon is a stalwart trail machine. But Mercedes’ CEO really shook things up a bit ago when he confirmed rumors that the automaker is developing a more affordable version of the boxy SUV.
Check out the unique off-roader Drake snagged.
As Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius noted in an interview with Bloomberg, the G-Wagon is so popular there’s a long queue of buyers wanting to get one. That might have something to do with the automaker looking to expand the market without watering down the luxury SUV.
The solution is a “baby” G-Class or what Kallenius calls “a little G” noting it could be “a son or a daughter.” He was pretty giddy about the announcement, probably because the guy knows the smaller, more affordable G-Class will be an instant hit.
We have no details about what this upcoming model will be like. Admittedly, it could be wonderful and take on the Wrangler and Bronco head-on or it could be ridiculously soft and nothing more than a Three-Pointed Star badge for those buying it. We have a few years before all is revealed.
Originally, the G-Wagon was developed by Merecedes as a military vehicle, somewhat like the Humvee H1. However, the German armed forces didn’t jump on board, so the automaker decided to offer it to the public instead. Off-road enthusiasts immediately learned how capable the boxy SUV was.
However, when imported to the US cheaper versions of the G-Class were left out of the mix as it was marketed as strictly a luxury SUV. As a result, few see trail duty on this continent. Perhaps the baby G-Wagon would buck that trend.
Images via Mercedes-Benz
