In 2024, the Mercedes G-Class will undergo a big transformation. The engineers are about to rip off the oily bits for a fully electric version. Don't worry - the internal combustion G-Class will continue in parallel, and it will get a facelift. A new video puts the EQG in the spotlight ahead of its upcoming debut.
We get to see none other than the Mercedes CEO driving the electric G-Class up the Schöckl mountain in Austria. The video gets even more interesting when Ola Källenius does a so-called G-turn. It's basically a tank turn, and if you're not familiar with the term, it refers to doing a 180-degree turn on the spot. This will be offered in the EQG, and it looks like it will be activated by pressing a button and using the left paddle behind the steering wheel.
Mercedes' head honcho actually did a 360-degree turn, but there's a setting available in the infotainment system that allows the EQG to perform a 90-degree turn. The Swedish-born executive explains that it can come in handy when you're off-road and get stuck. This is made possible by giving the EQG four electric motors - one for each wheel. To make sure the battery doesn't get damaged when you're off the beaten path, the underbody has been reinforced with two layers of carbon fiber and another type of material in between.
The G-Class facelift and EQG will break cover in the first half of 2024 and will be followed by a "Little G" in the second half of the decade. The smaller variant is highly unlikely to use a body-on-frame platform as it is expected to be unibody, so it won't have the off-road chops of its big brother. An all-electric variant has been confirmed.
Source: Mercedes-Benz