The company confirmed the first prototypes of the smaller G-Class will soon appear on public roads
You can never have too much of a good thing, and Mercedes-Benz has finally realized this, spending the last couple of years developing a baby version of the G-Class. This new model, currently known as the Mini G, will feature a similar boxy design to the full-size G but will utilize a new platform. With Jaguar Land Rover also developing a smaller version of the Defender, there’s never been a better time to be a fan of the two brands.
Read: This Is Everything We Know About The Mercedes Mini G
Mercedes has remained tight-lipped about the smaller G-Class for quite some time now, but at the ongoing Munich motor show, company boss Ola Kallenius and tech leader Markus Schafer announced some very interesting details about it.
Built From The Ground Up
For starters, Schafer confirmed that it will have an entirely new platform, described as a “miniature ladder-frame chassis,” complete with the suspension and wheel size setup you’d expect from a traditional ladder-frame-based model, albeit “not ladder-frame to [the] extent” of the current G-Class.
“Over time, just looking at the car’s capabilities and what’s needed, I came more and more to the conclusion that everything has to be unique, the whole upper body and everything,” Schafer said according to Autocar. “You know, I can’t even take a door handle from [the current] portfolio, because the G-Class has such unique door handles.”
“So we spent a lot of time tuning this car, and over time we started to develop so many unique components to make sure it’s very, very good-looking car and very capable,” he added.
Holding Onto The Classic G Look
Ola Kallenius added that test mules of the new model will “be appearing on roads very soon.” He also flashed a darkened teaser image on a screen, revealing the baby G will have virtually identical taillights to its larger sibling, as well as a rear-mounted spare wheel.
Mercedes design boss Gorden Wagener noted the Mini G will look very familiar, noting “we will give a slightly different tweak: a bit more sharpness, a bit younger graphics, but still circle. So it’s really details,” he said. “But otherwise we stick to the G, and it’s a modern G – even a touch more modern than the big one.”
Electric Future
In every respect the Mini G is being engineered to stay true to the G-Class formula, but the one exception is under the hood, where Autocar reports it will launch exclusively as an electric vehicle, skipping combustion engines entirely. That sets it apart from the full-size G, which still offers both powertrain choices. When asked directly about the plans, Schäfer kept things vague, replying only, “Stay tuned. I don’t want to go into this detail.”
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