Production process of G-Class longer and more complex than other top-end Mercedes SUVs, says Michael Knoller

The flatlands adjacent to the Graz Airport in Austria make for a curious sight. Peppered across the concrete-and-tarmac landscape are multiple Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUVs in various colours and permutations, like a technicolour fantasy for hardcore off-roaders. The site features 100 per cent incline ramps, muddy trenches and a pristine tarmac runway, all of which combine to form the G-Class Experience Centre. Created in 2019 to commemorate 40 years of the iconic G-Class, the centre aims to allow G-Class enthusiasts – a sizable and growing tribe – carte blanche to cut loose and push the formidable G to its limits.

In the last four-and-a-half decades, the G-Class has gone from being a Mercedes-Benz anomaly to being a monolith. It’s served time in 63 different armies, giving it the sort of pedigree that even multiple rally wins on the global stage cannot. The fact that it has been built exclusively out of its Magna-Steyr plant, a mere 20 minutes from the experience centre, further enhances its mystique and rarified status. This makes the CEO of Mercedes-Benz GmbH, Michael Knoller, not a division head so much as a custodian of what has become one of the most enduring sub-brands for Mercedes-Benz. “We have about 2000 people asking to be here (at the Experience Centre) on a yearly basis,” says Knöller.

On catering to rising demand

Like all rarified, high-end luxury items, Knoller has opted to take the managed scarcity route when it comes to the G-Class’s global demand. However, the scarcity isn’t severe. “We produce about 10 units less than the demand. We don’t want to build the cars on stock,” Knoller says. But the reasons go beyond controlling brand image. “The production process is a little longer than other cars because of the high level of immunisation and fortification needed for the quality levels a G-Class requires.”

Given the puritanical nature of G-Class loyalists, there was some trepidation as to how they would take to an electrified G-Class, but Knoller dismisses those concerns. He points out that in a little over a year since the G580 was launched, it now accounts for upwards of 10 per cent of all G-Classes sold globally. “There’s so much more you can do with the electric G-Class,” states Knoller. A fact that can be verified in a variety of ways, not least of which is the G580 pirouetting 360 degrees, with a simple tap of either paddle shifter. It can also climb a 100 per cent incline with little to no input from the driver.

On allocation for the Indian market

Mercedes-Benz India MD Santosh Iyer has been quite vocal about the fact that Mercedes-Benz India has witnessed maximum growth in the top-end segment, which is bookended by vehicles like the G63 AMG and the G580. “The demand is collected from all markets. For instance, this is the time of the year when we have already submitted the demand for next year’s batch. It’s not like a normal production process, which you can ramp up tomorrow morning. It’s all handmade and handcrafted,” says Mercedes-Benz India MD Santosh Iyer, attesting to the high levels of customisation that allow the G-Class to receive top billing in Merc’s pantheon of top-end SUVs.

In fact, Iyer points out that 95 per cent of G-Class orders come with special customisation requests that are fed through Merc’s bespoke Manufaktur program. Iyer, who has sustained the brand’s position as the largest luxury car brand in the country, also states that the number of G-Class vehicles allocated to the Indian market has only gone up, without mentioning specific numbers.

For the moment, though, the US, Turkey and Germany remain among the top markets for the G-Class, according to Knöller.

On the future evolution of the G-Class

In nearly half a century of continuous production, the G-Class has diversified in ways few SUVs have, while still managing to retain its core attributes, namely a ladder-on-frame chassis, multiple differential locks and a low-range gearbox – all the staples of a vehicle truly worthy of the off-roader/SUV badge. At the same time, it has spawned outlandish and fantastic limited editions, including a convertible Maybach edition and a six-wheeled pick-up behemoth. Not only that, its road-going mannerisms have steadily improved with technology like adaptive air suspension, as evidenced by the masterful cornering of the G63 AMG, which is, for all intents and purposes, an AMG GT supercar on stilts. The diesel powertrain of the G-Class is no slouch, accounting for 20 per cent of overall demand. With a pure-electric version also in the market now, the only type of technology conspicuously absent from the G portfolio is a hybrid, and for good reason. “Hybrids have some disadvantages when it comes to weight distribution,” says Knoller. “Our first mission is off-roading,” he adds.

When it comes to the direction in which the evolution of the G will continue, Knoller is clear in his approach. “It’s important for us to keep our iconic design,” he says, adding that meeting homologation requirements for global markets is always in mind. On the ICE front, Knoller says the focus will involve the upcoming Euro 7 emission norms, which are to be the final set of norms for petrol and diesel vehicles. Other areas of focus will involve catering to the demands of off-road enthusiasts and those of high-end luxury collectors, which remains “a big driver of our ideas”, according to him.

Is a smaller Baby G on the way?

Given the increasing demand for the G-Class, rumours have been swirling that Merc plans on launching a smaller, possibly two-door “Baby G”, but Knoller wastes no time in refuting it. “We have a lot of ideas, but we cannot fulfil crazy ideas on a yearly basis,” he says, the “crazy” here referring to more outlandish limited edition models like the G 63 6x6. However, he concludes on a hopeful note. “Let’s see. We are working on an interesting idea. Nothing is impossible with the G. Except maybe flying.”

The author was at the Mercedes-Benz G-Class Experience Centre in Graz, Austria, at the invitation of Mercedes-Benz India