Electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class to begin scale-back of EQ branding
The electric G-Class will not be called EQG, as Mercedes-Benz begins moving away from the EQ label applied to its current range of battery-powered cars.
The electric 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class is due to be unveiled at the Beijing motor show later this month – but not as we know it.
Rather than EQG – as previously anticipated – the first production electric G-Class since the name debuted in 1979 will be called the G580 with EQ Technology when it arrives in Australian showrooms later this year.
It is the first step in Mercedes-Benz's gradual move away from EQ as a model prefix – for vehicles such as EQA, EQB and EQE – as more of the company's models adopt electric power, and it becomes increasingly redundant.
The EQG was shown as a concept at the Munich motor show in 2021, with preliminary technical specifications revealed at the unveiling of a prototype the following year.
The ninth model in the company’s electric range will be unveiled in Beijing on April 24 alongside a plug-in hybrid version of the new AMG GT coupe, and an updated EQS electric sedan.
The electric G-Glass will form part of Mercedes-Benz’s newly created 'G' sub-brand, cashing in on the popularity of the full-size G-Class that has seen wait times stretch into multiple years in the wake of the pandemic.
“From the start, it was decided the electric G-Class should be at least as good as the [petrol] model both on road and off road. We didn’t want to compromise on capabilities,” G brand boss Emmerich Schiller said, as quoted by Autocar.
The electric G-Class is set to use a modified version of the petrol model's heavy-duty ladder-frame underpinnings, rather than the car-derived Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) planned for a smaller, electric-only 'baby G' due in 2026.
The latest EQG prototypes – first shown in a concept in 2021 and tested by Drive in 2022 – are powered by four electric motors, one on each wheel, allowing for individual control of the speed of each wheel for enhanced off-road capability.
Reports claim the G580 is planned to use an 800-volt electrical system for quick charging times – though initial data on its energy efficiency suggest its driving range may be less than 400 kilometres.
The electric G-Class will share most of its styling with the petrol version, teaser images show, though there will be subtle differences – including a new-look front bumper and a blanked-off grille – to denote its power source.
As with other Mercedes-Benz EQ models, there is not expected to be a luggage area in place of the petrol version's engine – nor a spare tyre on the tailgate, with the charging cable expected to reside in a lockable box on the tailgate where the spare wheel would usually sit.
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