Mercedes-Benz has withdrawn the legendary G-class from sale
The sensational news was reported by the German business publication Automobilwoche, but do not rush to panic: the G-class is not going anywhere, it's just that the Magna Steyr plant in Graz can’t cope with the high demand for this model, the line has been expanded to obscene, so orders have been temporarily stopped.
In early January, Mercedes-Benz reported that sales of the G-Class in 2021 reached an absolute record in the entire history of the model (serial production began in 1979): 41,174 units were sold worldwide, of which 2017 units sold were in our country. Meanwhile, cumulative global sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans in 2021 compared to 2020 were down 4% to 2,427,686 units, which is a good result considering Mercedes-Benz has been one of the main victims of the global microchip shortage. caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this shortage, queues for some Mercedes-Benz models drag on for two years or more, but we don't know for sure if the G-Class is among them.
Automobilwoche reports that taking orders for the G-Class in Germany stopped on January 17, and dealers were not warned in advance, but simply put before the fact: now they are forced to deploy customers or, at best, offer them exhibition copies from salons. It is not yet known when the model will be available for order again. Regarding the G-Class sales situation recently, we sent an inquiry to the local Mercedes-Benz dealership, but have not received a response yet.
In turn, the prestigious German magazine auto motor und sport yesterday published an article about the restyled G-Class, which is due to debut at the end of 2022. Comparing the two editions, we can assume that the queue for the current G-Class has already ended, stretching for about a year, and the resumption of orders will begin after the debut of the updated model.
Recall that the current version of the G-class debuted in 2018 – the company retained its predecessor index (W463), but in fact this is a new generation with a completely updated body and interior, as well as a continuous independent front suspension, which significantly improved the Gelika's handling and made it more suitable for the role of a universal machine for every day. However, the Austrian plant Magna Steyr began to record a tangible increase in demand for the G-class in the middle of the last decade, that is, before modernization; at that time, the model acquired a cult status all over the world (recently, Gelik has had such a status since the days of the “handsome man of the 90s”).
According to Auto Motor und Sport, the upcoming restyled G-Class will have minor but noticeable cosmetic changes and an updated engine line-up, with an all-electric version due to debut in 2024, which was preceded by the EQG concept shown last. September at the motor show from Munich (the official release date of the serial version has not yet been announced).
We also add that in October 2021, a new generation of the professional version of the G-class, designed for the army and rescue services, debuted, and the index was changed from 463 to 464.
Last week, Kolesa.ru became aware of a similar case with Volkswagen: it announced the return to the market of the e-up! electric hatchback, for which orders were stopped in 2020 due to excessive demand.
