Mercedes buried big news for longtime fans in a recent presentation to investors. Tucked away in a discussion of balancing demand for electric, hybrid, and gas-powered cars, the brand stated, “The legendary G-Class family will be expanded with a new smaller version.”
The Big G
The G-Class is one of the world’s great off-roaders and one of the few available with every technology and creature comfort common to ultra-luxury cars. Originally proposed as a military vehicle, it’s been offered to the public since 1979. Its boxy, upright proportions make it like nothing else in the Mercedes lineup.
They also take it places no other Mercedes could go. Only a few vehicles can match its off-road chops, most of them more utilitarian than the G-Wagen. If you want to tackle some of the world’s most challenging off-road courses, you can buy the more mountain-goat-like trims of the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco. Or, you can buy a G-Class and do it on massaging seats while listening to an exquisite Burmester sound system.
The Other Gs (So Far)
The term “G-Class family” is new. For the 2025 model year, Mercedes is introducing the first all-electric G-Wagen. Its name is a little cumbersome: officially, it’s the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology. But it looks like the classic G and may be even more capable. Separate motors drive each wheel, allowing it to perform maneuvers no gas-powered version can match.
Mercedes could also stretch the “family” definition to fit some of its more radical modified Gs. The company has, at times, produced actual factory variants with portal axles (which let engineers mount the wheels below the axles for absurd ground clearance) and even a 6-wheeled version.
But the baby of the family is the news now.
The Likely Baby G
The investor presentation offered no details, but the vehicle has existed as a rumor for years.
Car and Driver notes, “The latest rumors suggest that the baby G will be sold exclusively as an electric vehicle (EV).” There are practical reasons to think that –developing a new EV off an existing EV platform would be less expensive than creating a new, off-road-style body-on-frame platform for a gas-powered vehicle at a smaller size.
Motor Trend adds that the current model’s “boxy, timelessly retro exterior would translate nicely into an adorable shrunken-down iteration, although it’s likely the baby G-Wagen would be similar in styling, but not a direct clone.”
Most importantly, a Baby G might come at a baby price by G-Class standards. The full-size 2025 G-Class today starts at $149,400 and goes up from there, with AMG versions routinely selling for $210,000 and up.