The 500,000th Mercedes-Benz G-Class rolled off the creation line on Thursday at the SUV’s plant in Graz, Austria.
The milestone will come 44 yrs right after the civilian version of the G-Class produced its debut, and as a signal of the vehicle’s rising popularity, the previous 200,000 examples have been designed in just the earlier 6 decades.
To mark the milestone, the 500,000th example is a specific one particular-off design and style with components mimicking an early G-Course, exclusively a 1986 280 GE. Important retro cues incorporate the agave green exterior paint (a person of the earliest colors available on a G-Class), checkered cloth on the seats, and orange lenses for the indicator lamps. The style and design of the steering wheel and spare wheel deal with also characteristic classic cues, according to Mercedes.
The G-Course, which draws its name from gelandewagen, the German term for “off-road motor vehicle,” was conceived as a navy auto. Nevertheless, Mercedes and the Austrian business Steyr-Daimler-Puch started conversations about a civilian model of the SUV as early as 1969.
1979 Mercedes-Benz G-Course lineup
By 1972, the choice was produced to establish 1 and in the spring of 1979 the very first civilian G-Class was launched. Steyr-Daimler-Puch was accountable for output, correct up right up until 2001 when the organization was dissolved. Even so, its automobile producing functions ended up taken about by Canada’s Magna International and turned into the new division Magna Steyr, which these days continue to builds the G-Class for Mercedes.
Over the many years, the G-Class has been up to date whilst trying to keep its look and truly feel unchanged—a philosophy that will be analyzed future calendar year when the 1st electric powered G-Course is introduced.