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Mercedes' EQG is the electric G-Class that Schwarzenegger always dreamed of

The new concept looks to be slated for production in the same Austrian plant as the gas one

William Wilkes and Elisabeth Behrmann, Bloomberg
Sep 06, 2021  •  September 6, 2021  •  1 minute read  •  Join the conversation
A Mercedes-Benz EQG concept car is presented at the Munich Motor Show IAA Mobility on September 06, 2021 in Munich, Germany.
A Mercedes-Benz EQG concept car is presented at the Munich Motor Show IAA Mobility on September 06, 2021 in Munich, Germany. Photo by Jan Hetfleisch /Getty

The electric version of Mercedes-Benz’s G-Class looks set to be built in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s alpine hometown.

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On Sunday, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its EQG prototype, an all-electric version of the automaker’s utilitarian off-road icon. Its combustion-engine forerunner is built in Graz, Austria, by Ontario, Canada-based Magna International Inc., and the subcontractor’s European boss dropped a hint at the Munich car show that the electric version will be built in Austria, too.

“We’ve built the G-Class for 41 years and we’re involved with their electric projects,” Guenther Apfalter said in an interview. “We have high hopes.”

Former California governor and action-movie actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a native of Graz, in 2018 implored former Mercedes Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche to offer an electric version of the G-Class. That dream now looks set to become reality as Daimler’s main division plows more than 40 billion euros (US$47 billion) into electrifying its product range this decade.

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Daimler is in talks to increase its battery orders as part of its plan to make its offering electric-only by the end of the decade, Chief Executive Officer Ola Kallenius said. “We’re upping the ante and talking to our partners,” he said.

When Mercedes designed the G-Class in the late 1970s, its boxy design and all-terrain capabilities were envisioned for soldiers and explorers. It largely stayed in that niche until the SUV boom vaulted the model more into to the mainstream, gaining high-profile customers including Sylvester Stallone, Kim Kardashian, and Megan Fox.

While vintage in design, the G-Class is among the most expensive cars in the Mercedes range. The AMG G63 version, for example, costs about $156,450.

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