An electric version of the Mercedes-Benz ‘Baby G-Wagen’ has been spied during cold-weather testing in Europe, despite reports the automaker has privately labelled the larger electric G-Class a “complete flop” since its 2024 introduction.
Expected to be unveiled late this year ahead of a likely 2027 launch, the ‘Baby G-Wagen’ – its official name has yet to be announced – has been confirmed by Mercedes-Benz as a smaller version of its iconic G-Class, also known as the G-Wagen.
The German brand teased the new SUV at last year’s Munich motor show.
The larger G-Wagen is already offered with an electric powertrain in the G580, but slow sales have seen reports from Germany claim an unnamed Mercedes-Benz executive described the EV as “a complete flop”.
However, the latest spy images suggest this particular Baby G-Wagen test vehicle is battery-electric rather than hybrid, plug-in hybrid or internal combustion-powered.
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Clues include a heavily taped-up front end, leaving little opportunity for airflow, as well as the absence of visible exhaust outlets.
Despite the slow-selling G580, a battery-electric powertrain is expected to be one of several options for the Baby G-Wagen, alongside hybrid variants, when it reaches showrooms.
The G580 with EQ Technology, as the electric G-Wagen is known, was introduced in 2024, arriving in Australian showrooms priced from $249,990 before on-road costs and featuring a 432kW quad-motor setup and a claimed 473km WLTP driving range.
It has failed to gain traction on sales charts both locally and overseas.
A record 49,700 G-Wagens were sold globally in 2025 – the highest total in the model’s 46-year history – though Mercedes-Benz doesn’t disclose how many of those were electric.
In Australia, 100 G580s were sold last year, out of a total of 591 G-Wagens.
Mercedes-Benz’s revision of its previous EV targets, including renewed commitments to V8 and V12 engines, adds weight to the likelihood of multiple powertrain options for the Baby G-Wagen.
Beyond the smaller Baby G, the German automaker is also planning an even larger G-Class variant, as it looks to capitalise on the brand equity built up since the roadgoing G-Wagen debuted in 1979.
Mercedes-Benz is also preparing a Jeep Wrangler-style G-Class cabriolet ‘special edition’.
Alongside the electric G580, the current G-Wagen is sold in Australia with a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, while the flagship Mercedes-AMG G63 features a 430kW/850Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine.