U.S. Fact Sheet 2019 G-Class
History of an Icon
- 1979 – The first G-Class models are shown to the press in southern France and the first models are the 240 GD, 300 GD, 230 G, and 280 GE.
- 1980 - Pope John Paul II is chauffeured around in a G-Class on his first visit to Germany as pope.
- 1981 – For the 280 GE and the 300 GD, air conditioning and other comfort features such as an adjustable rear seat and hardtop for the Cabrio version, including 22 exterior colors available for ordering.
- 1983 – Jacky Ickx and Claude Brasseur drove the Rallye Paris-Dakar with a 280 GE and came in first place.
- 1985 – As part of a model year change, the G-Class was greatly upgraded, including new differentials, central locking, and rpm meter.
- 1987 – Freshened model changes included power windows, automatic antenna, luggage compartment cover, and larger fuel tank.
- 1989 – W463 model chassis saw improved equipment and four powertrains – 250 GD, 300 GD, 230 GE, and 300 GE. Three body styles were available – Cabriolet, Station Wagon short, and also long.
- 1993 – The 500 GE was the first V8 model in the G-Class. The 5-liter aluminum engine had 240 PS (237 hp) and it marked the first time the brand officially called it the “G-Class,” with model names G230, G300, G350 turbodiesel, etc.
- 1994 – Disc brakes and driver airbag were added.
- 1998 – G500 with 296 PS (292 hp).
- 1999 – G55 AMG was added to the lineup.
- 2001 – At the IAA in Frankfurt, the G-Class received an improved interior and improved driving dynamics with ESP, brake assistant, and ETS traction system.
- 2002 – G-Class goes on sale as an official offering from Mercedes-Benz USA, including the G55 AMG.
- 2004 – World premiere of the G55 AMG with a Kompressor aka supercharged engine with 469 hp.
- 2007 – Updated interior cluster with four analog instruments.
- 2008 – Introduction of the new 5.5-liter V8 engine, and in the USA, the G500 is changed to G550.
- 2012 – (MY2013 in the USA) completely new instrument cluster and center console as standard, with modern COMAND infotainment, with mild exterior enhancements including LED daytime running lights.
- 2015 – designo Manufaktur program is available for G-Class. The G63 AMG 6x6 and the new G500 4x4 squared with portal axles demonstrate unmatched offroad capabilities.
- 2017 – The 300,000th G-Class comes off the line in the Austrian factory Magna Steyr, which is a Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet, with many luxurious features.
G-Class U.S. Highlights
- The G-Class is the patriarch of the Mercedes-Benz SUV family.
- MBUSA celebrates the exclusive hand-built nature of the car and its customers.
- Top G-Class markets include Southern California, Texas, South Florida, the NY Tri-State area and Atlanta, which are amongst the wealthiest taste-making cities in the USA. The regional success of the car represents its exclusivity; G-Class customers also have some of the highest household incomes amongst all Mercedes-Benz buyers.
- Since MBUSA officially started importing the G-Class, a high-performance AMG variant has been offered. In the USA, the G-Class sells the highest percentage of AMG sales by model.
- The Mercedes-AMG G65 biturbo V12 was added for model year 2016 – one of five AMG ‘65’ models with V12 engines offered by Mercedes-Benz USA (AMG S65 Sedan, Coupe, Cabriolet, AMG SL65); a sixth V12 is available with the Mercedes-Maybach S650.
- The G-Class continues to be hand-assembled and hand-welded in Graz, Austria.
- Every G-Class has to conquer the Schöckl. Mercedes-Benz uses the 4,740-ft (1,445 meter) high local mountain near the Austrian city of Graz as a test track.
G-Class Sales
- The U.S. is the biggest market for the G-Class.
- Since the launch of the first G-Class model (1979) significantly more than 250,000 vehicles have been handed over to customers.
- Ever since 2009 G-Class sales have been continuously climbing and since 2012 the G-Class has generated a new sales record each year.
- Thanks to strong growth rates of the forefather of the SUV, the G-Class, generated a new sales record with around 20,000 units sold within twelve months in 2016.
- Steady growth of G-Class sales in the U.S. in 2017 totaling 4,188 (2016 sales in the U.S. totaled 3,950)
- MBUSA sold 18,024 SUV units in December 2017, a 15.1% increase from December 2016 (15,658). The GLC (6,152) was the leader MTD in December while the GLE (54,595) was the SUV leader YTD. MBUSA experienced an increase of 3.3% in SUV sales with 163,778 units sold in 2017 (158,600 units sold in 2016).
Global SUV Highlights & Sales
- In 1997, Mercedes-Benz created the premium SUV segment with the market launch of the M-Class. Today the brand with the star is very successful in this segment, now offering seven models (GLA, GLC, GLC Coupe, GLE, GLE Coupe, GLS, G-Class).
- SUVs form a crucial element of the Mercedes-Benz product range and contribute significantly to the growth of Mercedes-Benz.
- New SUV sales record is primarily due to strong growth in China, Germany, France, the United States and Great Britain
- To date, more than four million customers around the globe have opted for an SUV made by Mercedes-Benz.
- 2015 marked the "year of the SUV" for Mercedes-Benz. Almost the entire SUV range was rejuvenated: the M-Class was launched as the GLE and the GLK was followed by the new GLC. With the GLE Coupe, a model on the basis of the GLE, Mercedes-Benz has launched a completely new unprecedented SUV on the market. The GLS celebrated its world premiere at the L.A. Autoshow in November 2015 as the successor to the GL.
- With more than 800,000 units the SUV segment was Mercedes-Benz's strongest segment in 2017 worldwide. The Mercedes-Benz SUV model campaign is paying off and it will continue to generate growth in 2017: in 2017 sales increased to 805,000 units, an increase of 14.0%. The strongest-selling SUVs globally in 2017 were the GLC and the GLA. The GLC Coupe also made a significant contribution to the SUVs’ success in its first full year of sales.