The first all-electric version of one of Mercedes-Benz’s most iconic models reportedly isn’t selling well.
Launched last week in Australia, the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology, as the G-Class electric vehicle (EV) is called, was revealed in 2024 as the production version of the 2021 EQG concept.
While the G-Class (often referred to as the G-Wagen or Geländewagen) has long been a favourite of celebrities, for many years it’s also been inextricably linked with the V8 engine under the bonnet of the brawny Mercedes-AMG G63, which costs a cool $365,900 before on-road costs.
The move to electric power in the lengthily named G580 with EQ Technology has reportedly not only been met with a collective yawn from consumers, despite its significantly lower starting price ($249,000 in Australia), but could also impact the German automaker’s future product plans.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
“The car is sitting like lead at dealers; it’s a complete flop,” an unnamed Mercedes-Benz executive told German business newspaper Handelsblatt.
“People want a real G-Class – with six or eight cylinders,” reads another quote from an anonymous source.
Another insider had a more glass-half-full explanation, telling the media outlet: “It’s a niche model; production numbers are very low.”
According to the German publication, Mercedes-Benz is now considering launching the upcoming ‘little G’ – a smaller SUV with similarly boxy styling – with a petrol engine instead of offering it exclusively with electric power.
This model is due for launch in 2027.
This bad publicity over weak demand for the G-Class EV follows the response to the plug-in hybrid Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance, which has been dogged by reports of weak demand and heavy discounting in markets like Germany, as well as repeated rumours of a return to V8 power (or at least the adoption of a turbocharged inline six) for AMG’s arch-rival to the BMW M3.
Unlike the C63, in which a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain completely replaced a twin-turbo V8, Mercedes-Benz’s electric G-Wagen didn’t come at the expense of much-loved combustion-powered variants of the legendary off-road wagon.
To that end, Mercedes-Benz can adjust its production mix to match buyer demand.
“Mercedes-Benz is prepared for all market scenarios. Into the 2030s, we can flexibly offer vehicles with both a fully electric drivetrain or an electrified high-tech combustion engine,” a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson told Motor1.
“Our customers decide what suits them best. This applies also for the G-Class.”
This year to the end of May, Mercedes-Benz has delivered 23 examples of the newly-released G-Class EV in Australia, compared to 133 combustion-powered variants in the same period.
According to Handelsblatt, Mercedes-Benz had sold 1450 G-Class EVs worldwide to the end of April, against around 9700 petrol and diesel G-Class vehicles.
Despite this, a spokesperson told the publication “[we are] on target with our sales figures”.
And despite its high-tech powertrain, the electric G-Class is cheaper than both the combustion-powered G450d and G500 in Germany, though it also lacks a towbar option and has a maximum payload of only 415kg.
But Mercedes-Benz hasn’t offered a non-AMG, non-electric G-Class in Australia since it dropped the G400d in 2022, hence the $115,000-plus price gap between the G580 and G63 here.
Powering the G580 are four electric motors capable of producing up to 432kW and 1164Nm, propelling the circa-3000kg SUV from 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds, and allowing it to perform ‘tank turns’ on the spot.
A huge 116kWh battery supplies power to the blocky EV, which has a claimed driving range of 473km on the WLTP test cycle.
The twin-turbo V8-powered G63 AMG, in contrast, produces 430kW and 850Nm. It’s good for a 0-100km/h time of 4.4 seconds, thanks in large part to weighing around 400kg less than the electric model.
