Mercedes-Benz G580 electric: the iconic G-Wagon goes green while maintaining its legendary capability
Name any vehicle that was built almost 50 years ago, is still in production and is instantly recognisable by virtually the entire world.
There aren't many, right?
Unless, of course, it's the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon or, more correctly, the Geländewagen.
First introduced in 1979 as a military vehicle and later that year as a civilian option, the G-Wagon has stayed true to its box-like shape and incredible offroad ability whether it's a modern diesel G450d or the fire-breathing AMG G63 that's much loved by rappers, gangsters, soccer players and the rich and famous social types.
Who knew, though, that an electric G580 would be as good, possibly better, than anything that has preceded it?
I suppose it was inevitable given the way mobility is moving, but as an offroad enthusiast, when it was first announced, I had a good laugh.
But after experiencing it first hand at the AMG Driving Experience Centre at Zwartkops, I must tilt my cap to what the engineers have managed to conjure up.
Same exterior but a different powertrain
We don't have to go into the exterior details simply because it's a G-Wagon, and not much has changed over the years.
Interestingly, it hasn't changed its ladder chassis and body-on-frame design either, the German manufacturer preferring instead to stick to the fundamentals of what the G-Class is about.
The chassis houses a 116kWh lithium-ion battery pack that's waterproof and protected from the elements by a torsion-resistant casing and underbody protection, including carbon-fibre reinforced materials, that they say can carry up to three times the weight of the car, should you get hung up on a rock and gives you a wading depth of 850mm.
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The Citizen
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IOL News
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Motor manufacturers under threat: SA mulls incentive revisions, but are tariffs the answer?
File picture: Mercedes-Benz SA. Deindustrialisation remains a major threat to the South African vehicle manufacturing industry. Image: Supplied South Africa's automotive manufacturing industry is facing an existential crisis as affordable imports from India and China flood the market and export contracts come under threat. Although the imposition of US tariffs only affects Mercedes-Benz at present, this is expected to take a significant toll on that company, while elsewhere in the industry, a gradual deindustrialisation is eroding local output. While industry leaders such as Toyota SA CEO Andrew Kirby have previously sounded the warning bells about industrial decline, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, added to the chorus this week when he stated that the abovementioned pressures have resulted in 12 component company closures and over 4,000 job losses in the last two years. Speaking at an industry showcase held by the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) on Wednesday, Tau stated that local vehicle production, at 515,850 units in 2024, was far below the Automotive Masterplan 2035 target of 784,509. Equally worrying is that local content for vehicle production remains stagnant at 39%, well below the 64% target. Imports remain a threat, as just 37% of the vehicles that South Africans purchase are locally produced, according to Lightstone, while 36% are sourced from India and 11% from China. Minister Parks Tau said his department was currently reviewing the APDP incentive programme. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'Localisation is not merely policy compliance - it is existential. A 5% increase in local content would unlock R30 billion in new procurement, dwarfing the R4.4 billion US export market. To achieve this, we must act collectively to address some of the bottlenecks to growth,' Tau said. He revealed that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) was reviewing the current Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP) as a comprehensive way of responding to the sector's challenges. Among these reforms would be shifting the duty credit incentive structure to place a greater emphasis on rewarding full manufacture, rather than just assembly. The government is also planning to incentivise electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing. As announced earlier this year, carmakers will be able to claim a 150% tax deduction on investments related to EV production. The government is also considering adding locally mined minerals to the list of Items that qualify as local content under the APDP. In addition, a comprehensive skills gap analysis has been completed, resulting in EV-specific curricula and certification programmes now being developed in conjunction with numerous universities. The Minister said the government was also working hard to eliminate compliance burdens and reduce the red tape currently inhibiting investment into the auto sector. This includes a General Laws Amendment Bill that aims to fast-track high-impact investments and projects within 90 days. A call for punitive tariffs However, when it comes to protecting the local manufacturing industry from a flood of affordable imports, it appears the DTIC is not in favour of punitive measures such as tariffs. This is in spite of widespread calls for this, including from manufacturers such as BMW SA and industry organisations. Speaking at a separate event held on Tuesday, in response to Trump's tariff imposition, Tau said: 'With regards to Chinese and Indian auto, it is a discussion that we're currently having with the intention of taking a less punitive approach, but rather taking a more proactive approach of getting some of those products manufactured in the country.' 'So we're not holding the stick as a starting point. We start with the carrot and then balance it with the stick," Tau added.
