Mercedes Is Still Planning a Junior G-Class

The G-Class is a veritable icon within the vast Mercedes lineup. It makes us wonder why the Stuttgart-based automaker has yet to capitalize on the off-roader’s brand power by launching derivatives. There have been special editions like the Maybach G650 Landaulet, 4×4 Squared, and the bonkers 6×6, but not permanent additions to the lineup. Better late than never, a smaller and presumably cheaper alternative to the go-anywhere SUV is planned.

It will be part of what the company calls its “biggest ever product launch campaign.” In a press release published this week, the German luxury brand promised that the “legendary G-Class family will be expanded with a new smaller version.” In a new teaser, the g (written in lowercase) appears all covered up at the bottom of the G-Class pyramid.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard about a downsized variant. Mercedes dropped a design sketch of what company CEO Ola Källenius called the “Little G” in September 2023 at the IAA Munich show. During the event, the head honcho called it the “son or daughter of the iconic big G.” The original teaser of a boxy SUV didn’t reveal anything either, as that white outline might as well depict a Suzuki Jimny. Ideally, Mercedes would echo the Japanese off-roader by selling three- and five-door variants.

Mercedes remains tight-lipped about the G-Class offshoot, even though the model was first announced about a year and a half ago. The most significant piece of the puzzle we’re missing is not necessarily the design but how much the Little G will share in terms of hardware with the full-fat Geländewagen. Will it have a body-on-frame platform, or will it be unibody? Either way, it must have true off-road chops to live up to the G’s fame.

Two years ago, the German business paper Handelsblatt reported that the petite G-Class would be mechanically related to the next-gen CLA, which premieres next month. If true, the g won’t have a ladder frame, which would surely upset purists. Assuming it’s related to the baby Mercedes sedan, expect a fully electric version, potentially joined by a mild-hybrid powertrain based on a new 1.5-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine.

We should point out that Mercedes has bigger fish to fry, so the g might have to wait. In addition to the new CLA, the revamped compact car family will include replacements for the CLA Shooting Brake, GLA/EQA, and GLB/EQB. Moving higher in the portfolio, electric versions of the C-Class, E-Class, and GLC are coming. The S-Class is getting a “major upgrade” in 2026, and AMG has a pair of EVs developed entirely in-house on the way.