Mercedes-Benz to offer a baby G-Class

Mercedes-Benz is looking to cash in on the status of the G-Class by offering a baby G SUV. The big G is a luxury off roader, used by owners primarily to drive about town in. And they love the AMG version, with its rip-roaring 430kW V8. Benz is now looking to add to the G family with a much smaller, more affordable G-Class. 

The new model was recently confirmed as part of Mercedes’ largest-ever product launch campaign. The Stuttgart-based brand teased the G-Class family expansion, showing the baby G (which is likely to be branded with a lower case g) at the base of a G-Class product pyramid.

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Benz has been hinting at adding a smaller G for sometime. At the 2023 IAA Munich show, CEO Ola Källenius revealed a sketch of the compact off-roader, calling it the “son or daughter of the iconic big G.” However, none of the juicy details have been revealed.  

It’s unlikely the baby G would wear the “Schöckl proved” label (the legendary test track on the mountain near Graz in Austria, the successful completion of which has earned all vehicles in the G-Class series since 1979) and will probably be based on a unibody platform to minimise production costs (and maximise profits).   

A new CLA is out soon, said to be a new efficient platform for small Benz cars. The CLA will be offered with an electric drivetrain or a 48-volt electrified high-tech four-cylinder engine, paired to an electrified eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. M-B says the electric variant sets new standards in its class in terms of range, consumption and charging power. It’s likely therefore, the new baby g would adopt a version of this new platform.