Everything We Know About The New Mercedes-Benz 'Little G' Baby G-Class

A few years ago Mercedes-Benz announced that it was working on a new, smaller model in the G-Class family, something it has referred to both as the "baby G" and the "little G" when talking about it — Mercedes has even released teasers where the car is called the "g-Class," with a cheeky lowercase G. Back in 2023 when it was first announced, CEO Ola Källenius assuring fans the new model would take "the character of the big and brash G-Class and condense it down into a more compact package," but actual details have been very slim, with the only images being very simple silhouette drawings.

That is, until recently. At the Munich Auto Show in September, during the reveal for the electric GLC, Mercedes put an image up on screen showing the rear ends of a normal G-Class, the upcoming convertible model, and the baby G, giving us our first real look at the styling. It's clearly much smaller, with some unique details like more prominent roof rails but the same boxy proportions, slim taillights and spare tire cover we've come to expect from a G-wagen. Since then, spy shots of camouflaged prototypes have been taken, and we know a lot more about what this new 'lil SUV will actually be like.

Take one look at the camouflaged prototype and this is clearly something new. Compared to a normal G-Class this new model looks scaled down by about 30%. It still has a super upright stance, essentially flat glass, prominent fenders and other G-Class design cues, but smoother body surfacing, more characterful headlights, and other details will set it apart even further. To give you an idea of its actual size, those wheels seem to be 19s or 20s; think bigger than a Suzuki Jimny, but smaller than a Jeep Wrangler.

According to Autocar, the little G will be built on a unique architecture that combines aspects of a real ladder frame (which the big G uses), the MMA platform of the new CLA and GLB, and the larger MB.EA platform of the GLC. "Over time, just looking at the car's capabilities and what's needed, I came to the conclusion that everything has to be unique, the whole upper body and everything," former tech boss Markus Schäfer told Autocar, "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 good-looking car and very capable."

It seems like the little G will debut as an EV and probably be offered exclusively with electric powertrains, though there's always a chance a gas-powered version could come down the line. (I doubt it, though.) Unlike its big sibling, the smaller G could get air suspension, and it'll surely have a lot of off-road-focused features. Just don't hold your breath for a quad-motor setup like the G580.

We won't have to wait much longer to learn more about the little G. It could make its debut later this year, with the model set to go on sale in 2027. And when it does, it'll have one major competitor: Land Rover is working on a baby Defender that should be out at around the same time.