Fresh details of the 2026 Mercedes-Benz ‘Mini G-Class’ EV have been released revealing it will be almost entirely unique and come with cutting-edge tech to ensure it will live up to the G-wagen name when it goes on sale in 2026.
Created to do battle with the all-new Land Rover Defender Sport, the new compact Mercedes baby G-Class is claimed to be “nearly all unique”.
That doesn’t apply to the styling though, as an image previewed at last week’s Munich motor show reveals it will mimic the rugged big brother’s boxy look.
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During a presentation to media Mercedes-Benz’s chief technical officer, Markus Schäfer, said he had tasked his team to create a ‘very special’ and “authentic” car that would live up to the G-wagen’s rich heritage.
As a result the Mini G sits on its own platform that attempts to blend the best attributes of a ladder-frame with a more sophisticated car-like monocoque.
“The G is a very special, authentic car, and the Mini G has to be authentic. So I cannot take just a platform, I cannot take an existing platform, I have to create my own. It’s a completely new development,” claimed Schäfer.
The chief engineer would not reveal whether the Mini G shares the G 580 with EQ Technology’s pioneering axial flux pancake-shaped e-motors but did add: “We ended up using far more unique components than I ever wished.”
“Over time, just looking at the car’s capabilities and what’s needed, I came more and more to the conclusion that everything has to be unique, the whole upper body and everything.
“You know, I can’t even take a doorhandle from [the current] portfolio, because the G-Class has such unique door handles.
“So we spent a lot of time tuning this car, and over time we started to develop so many unique components to make sure it’s a very, very good-looking car and very capable.”
Despite the declaration of bespoke parts it’s expected the new Mini G will share plenty with the latest CLA sedan, with the rugged EV set to come with a dual-motor powertrain that produces 260kW and 515Nm of torque.
It’s thought using an 85kWh battery, the Mini G will be capable of covering up to 600km on a charge.
When it comes to its styling, Mercedes-Benz design boss Gorden Wagener said that it would be “even more modern” than the current G-Wagen before admitting you “cannot change the G much: it’s iconic”.
When it arrives Down Under it’s thought the Suzuki Jimny-sized battery-electric 4×4 will raise the bar for off-road ability in its class, while potentially setting a new high for pricing in a compact SUV class.
