The development of the “battery” version of the SUV is explained by a “risk reduction strategy.” The head of AMG, the G-Class and Maybach business units, Mr. Michael Schiebe, told reporters at a round table that the electric Gelik will open up new opportunities for dealers. “There are clients that we may not have attracted in the past. Now we have the opportunity to interest them,” the top manager emphasized.
Schiebe recalled that the updated Mercedes-Benz G-Class is available with three types of power plants. “We have customers who love V8s, and they will always love eight-cylinder Gelikas. “The AMG G 63 is for them. For customers who want a very efficient and high-performance internal combustion engine, there is the six-cylinder G 550. And we also have an electric option for those who no longer want to drive a G-Class with an internal combustion engine.”
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Michael Schiebe shared some interesting statistics. According to Mercedes-Benz estimates, about 80% of all Gelikovs produced since 1979 are still in service. Absolute figures are not given, but since the half-millionth G-Class was released in 2023, more than 400 thousand Gelendewagens are driving on roads around the world. By comparison, Porsche estimates that about 70% of all 911s produced are roadworthy.
The top manager of Mercedes-Benz expressed hope that the electric G 580 EQ Performance will not lag behind the fuel versions in terms of service life. But the auto giant did not begin to estimate what share in the total sales of Gelikov the “battery” version will occupy. Representative statistics on this matter will not appear until the end of 2024.
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