This figure which shows that the G-Class is indestructible (or almost)

While the new restyled Mercedes G-Class has just been revealed, it seems that the vast majority of examples sold since its arrival are still on the road.

(Very) tall, with its muscular physique and cubic appearance, the Mercedes G-Class never goes unnoticed. If nowadays it rather evokes a luxurious vehicle, it is above all robustness that emerges from it. An all-terrain vehicle that embraces itself as such, and has done so for decades since its physique has hardly changed since its debut in 1979 (1975 for the military version). At the time, it was not yet called G-Class, as it had been since 1993, but Geländewagen. In reality, if its appearance does indeed suggest a sturdy vehicle, it would seem that in reality, it really is. And a figure proves it: “80% of the G-Classes that were produced are still on the market!”.

A few hundred thousand on the roads

This assertion is that of Michael Schiebe, CEO of AMG and in charge of the Mercedes G-Class and Maybach commercial units, quoted by our American colleagues at Motor1. He apparently wanted to confirm that the G-Class has a very long lifespan, while the first tests of the restyled version of the G-Class are currently taking place. Knowing that 44 years after its start of production, the 500,000th G-Class is left the Magna Steyr factory in Graz, Austria, in April 2023, there would therefore still be at least 400,000 on the roads. Proof that the vehicle is more of the indestructible type ! Unless…

A figure to qualify

Obviously the figure of 80% of vehicles still “alive” taken crudely, just put into perspective by the fact that the G-Class is 45 years old, is impressive. But you have to take it with a grain of saltand add the dimension of the number of vehicles produced per year. Because production has actually increased significantly in recent years, going from around 8,000 per year on average between 1979 and 2002, to 50,000/year since 2021 (400,000th copy in 2021, 500,000th in 2023). Which means that of the 80% of Class Gs in circulation, many are very recent! However, this in no way calls into question the robustness of a G-Class. And moreover, with the arrival of the 100% electric version, we will have to see if the lifespan of the vehicle is as good as thermal . We’ll talk about it again in 45 years!

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