The Mercedes-Benz G-Class family is about to get bigger. That’s according to Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz. During the product presentation of the Concept CLA at the Munich Motor Show, the executive said that the big and boxy G will soon have a much smaller brother.
Not only that, Källenius showed a teaser of the upcoming small SUV during the show He showed the sketch outline of the model, along with the words ‘g-Class’. Yes, the ‘G’ is in lowercase letters.
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With that, it confirms one of many Mercedes-Benz future models in the pipeline. There are no product specifics just yet, but the company says the ‘Little g’ will be ‘instantly recognizable’ and capable off-road. The folks from Stuttgart are aware of the challenge ahead of it, given that the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a well-respected model. The baby G should, at the very least, be half as capable as its big brother.
So, are we expecting a Jimny-sized 4x4 Mercedes? Probably not as the company does not have a platform that small. A more likely size would be on the larger end of the subcompact crossover segment or right in the middle of the compact class.
Mercedes could have three ways to build the compact G-Class. To oversimplify, the first is chop off the frame of the full-sized model and put a smaller body on top of it. The second would be to use the chassis of the rear-wheel drive-based models as seen in the models like C-Class, GLC. But if the company really wants to make it as compact as possible, it could go for the front-wheel drive platform used by the A-Class, GLA, and GLB.
While the car has been confirmed, its launch date has not. However, German newspaper Handelsblatt says it could go on sale by 2026. It is also said that there will be a mix of traditional engines and battery power as powertrain options. It’s all speculation for now, and we’ll have to wait a few more years to find out the real deal.
