During a media roundtable earlier this week, Mercedes Chairman Ola Källenius said the company plans to unveil its first all-electric version of the premium G-Class SUV sometime in 2024 (via Autoblog).
Källenius told the press that he already test-drove a prototype G-Class electric vehicle (EV) last fall at Mercedes’ testing facility in Graz, Austria. He was apparently pretty impressed with the experience. “From now on, going off-road is electric,” he said during the roundtable.
Despite being an off-road icon, the G-Class’s future was pretty uncertain up until a few years ago. “In the past, there were discussions whether we should eliminate the model. The way I see things now, I’d say the last Mercedes to be built will be a G-Class,” Källenius said in a speech in 2019.
Mercedes plans to go all-electric across its entire portfolio by 2030, and it looks like the G-Class will be a part of that transition. The German automaker previewed a G-Class EV concept, dubbed the EQG, when it unveiled the 2022 AMG EQS last year.
On questions about the exact launch timeline for the electric G-Class, Källenius initially said it would be “coming to a theater near you soon.” While that may have simply been a figure of speech, Mercedes’ electric off-roader could make a sneaky appearance in some action movie.
Mercedes is quickly gaining steam in its electrification, with the company launching EV production in the U.S. last month. In addition, Mercedes has also partnered with EV startup Rivian on electric van production.
