Half a millionth “Gelendvagen” rolled off the assembly line

18 May 2023

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The Magna Steyr plant in Austria is celebrating its production anniversary – and is already preparing to assemble the electric G-Class.

44 years after the debut of the W460 generation Mercedes-Benz SUV, the Gelendvagen production volume reached the 500,000th mark. During this time, the model changed generation only twice (in 1990 and 2018), and the only Mercedes that got on the conveyor earlier and is still being produced is the S-Class, while the current generation W223 is already the seventh in a row.

Mercedes-Benz G280GE (1986)
Mercedes decided to mark a beautiful figure with a special G-Class, which embodies the dialogue of eras. Of course, this is a G 500 with a 4.0-liter V8 (422 hp, 610 Nm), because the four hundred thousandth Gelik was a cherry G 400d.
The hero of the day is made in the style of the G 280 GE model of 1986. The body is painted in the historic Agave Green shade, and the front bumper, along with the grille, is black: the G-Class has not had such a “mask” since 1990. The turn signals on the front fenders are orange, and the seat centers are upholstered in checkered fabric instead of real leather, two more nods to the original car. Five-spoke 18-inch silver wheels are like the next generation Gelika W463, and instead of a plastic case for a full-size spare tire, there is a fabric cover.

A commemorative plate with the number “500,000” is placed on the front passenger’s handrail. The anniversary G-Class is additionally adapted for off-road: a ladder and a roof rack are installed (the current G 500 has a small regular one – only 454 liters). From the assembly line, tenacious Falken Wildpeak A / T tires are “shod”.

The next G-Class-related event awaits the Magna Steyr plant as early as 2024. Then the all-electric version of the SUV, which was presented in the form of the EQG concept in 2021, will get on the conveyor. It will retain the spar frame (a traction battery will be located within it, which will lower the center of gravity), and there will be four electric motors – one for each wheel, which will allow scrupulous dosage of traction control. This is probably the only acceptable replacement for the three locks that the G-Class is famous for to this day.