The year 2025 wasn't exactly favorable for Mercedes. Total sales fell by nine percent to 1,800,800 vehicles, but there was one positive side.
The G-Class had its best year ever, with demand rising by 23 percent to 49,700 units. Never before has the luxury carmaker sold so many Geländewagen in a single year since the car's debut in 1979, reports the Telegraph.
Mercedes does not break down G-Class sales by powertrain, separating combustion engine versions from the fully electric model.
Somewhat surprisingly, however, the company says that the G580 with EQ Technology "contributed significantly" to the record result and attracted new buyers.
This is despite a report from German business newspaper Handelsblatt, which quoted a company executive last June describing the electric version as a "complete failure."
The same senior Mercedes executive was quoted as saying: "The car is sitting like a bullet in the dealerships."
Looking ahead, Mercedes plans to diversify the G-Class lineup. It has already announced the return of the convertible and promises additional new variants, although without providing details.
It's worth noting that the smaller G model will be a separate model, so its sales figures will likely be reported separately.
It too will use a body platform, albeit a different one from its bigger sibling. Expect both combustion engines and electric powertrains when it debuts in 2027.
Whether this generation of the G-Class will bring more eccentric derivatives, such as another Landaulet or a six-wheel AMG version, remains to be seen.
Given Mercedes' continued commitment to the V12, a return of the twelve-cylinder under the hood would be welcome, although companies like Brabus have already created a spiritual successor to the G65.
2025 was also the year Mercedes built its 600,000th G-Class, 46 years after production began. Amazingly, about 80 percent of all G-Classes ever built are still on the road, living up to the “Stronger than Time” marketing slogan you’ve probably heard in recent years.
By the way, the SUV that can go anywhere is not built by Mercedes itself, but by Magna Steyr at its factory in Graz, Austria. /Telegraph/
