Mercedes-Benz to Launch Fully Electric G-Class Wagon by 2021

This week, Daimler's digital transformation head Sascha Pallenberg relayed via Twitter that the head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, speaking at an automobile event in Berlin, revealed that an all-electric version of the G-Class wagon is in the works. On the same day that Volkswagen outlined its plans to launch an all-electric wagon in 2021, Daimler's head of Mercedes-Benz Ola Källenius announced that "there will be a zero-emission EV version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class" wagon, too. The G-Class has been in production since the late 1970s and has since retained its place in the company's portfolio as one of the least eco-friendly models to date. Switching its current powertrain out for an electric one would do wonders for its environmental profile.

The idea of the G-Class going electric was first brought up by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2018 (as reported by Automotive News); the company's then-CEO, Dieter Zetsche, simply stated in the return that the company had plans to convert the "entire portfolio" to electric. According to Källenius, Mercedes-Benz has plans to give customers "the choice of at least one electric alternative in every Mercedes-Benz model series" by 2022 whether that's a hybrid option or a completely battery-powered option. Currently, in the US, only the GLC and EQC are (or will soon be) available with electric powertrains; the former is a hybrid whereas the second will be the brand's very first fully electric model when it launches in 2020. Neither Källenius nor Zetsche indicated a time frame during which the electric G-Class could be unveiled; however, based purely on the company's electrification strategy, we should see it within the next two years.