While the Mercedes-Benz ‘Baby’ G-Wagen Previously only discovered as an electric vehicle (EV), it will now reportedly also be offered with a gasoline engine.
Accordingly AutocarFrom now on, the Baby G-Class will be sold with either hybrid or purely electric drive.
The British magazine understands that the Baby G’s hybrid system will be carried over from the third-generation CLA, which features a new 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine backed by a 48V mild hybrid system.
In the CLA, the 1.5-liter engine is available in three output levels: 100 kW/200 Nm, 120 kW/250 Nm and 140 kW/300 Nm. The petrol engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission with an integrated 20 kW electric motor fed by a 1.3 kWh battery.
With Daily Sparkz you can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
If this report is accurate, it would certainly fit the current trend that many legacy automakers are adopting, which is to offer electric and combustion engine options in one vehicle, of which the latest CLA is a good example.
While electric vehicle sales have increased worldwide, the adoption rate has not met previous forecasts and adoption has varied widely, with Europe and China being the more enthusiastic adopters.
It’s possible that the decision to add petrol options to the Baby G range was based on the company’s experience with the full-fledged G-Class, which is available with a choice of petrol, diesel and electric powertrains.
While the 432kW/1165Nm electric G580 with EQ technology offers (just) the most power and (by far) the most torque of any G-Class variant, sales have been modest, and an anonymous Mercedes-Benz executive reportedly described it as a “complete flop.”
In contrast to the large G-Class, which has an electric motor for each wheel, Autocar assumes the Baby G EV will feature a dual-motor setup, with a larger, more powerful motor on the rear axle.
At around 4.4m long, the Baby G will reportedly be much smaller than the full-size G-Class, which measures 4.86m from head to tail.
While company officials have dubbed the new model the “Baby G,” “Mini G” and “Little G,” the automaker has yet to confirm the car’s official name, but there’s no doubt it will follow the long-standing tradition of combining one to three letters with three digits.
Production of the smaller G-Class is expected to begin in 2027, with electric variants coming to market first. It is unclear when gasoline-powered vehicles will roll off the assembly line.
MORE: Discover the Mercedes-Benz G-Class showroom
