The G-Wagen operated mostly unchanged from 1979 to 2018, but for the 2019 model year, things were switched up. The modernized G-Class was a step into the early 21st century, but it was still an internal combustion SUV ready to be left behind in the 2020s. That would not do for an all-electric Mercedes future, so the company's EQ division has a solution.

This is the EQG Concept, a look at an all-electric future for the car that was once so legendary for refusing to leave the past. Since it is merging a decades-old icon with an electric sub-brand that has gone out of its way to define its own design language within the Mercedes family, it looks like a perfect halfway point between the two identities. The two-box shape, rear-mounted box where a spare tire would go, and angular fender flares are unmistakably G-Class. The light-up fascia, LED strip searchlight atop the roof rack, and the odd rectangular shape of what looks like the spare tire cover indicate membership in Mercedes EQ's unique line of all-electric cars.

Mercedes EQG Concept Gallery
mercedes eqg concept

That would-be spare tire cover is not tire-shaped for a reason. Instead, that is a rear-mounted storage compartment, one Mercedes recommends using for the charging cable. It is one of many unique features meant to show that this is an interpretation of the G-Class in the style of Mercedes EQ, not simply a modern G-Wagen with batteries placed where the engine would go. Despite that split from tradition, this is still designed to be a seriously capable off-road machine.

The front suspension is independent, while the rear has a solid axle. Each of the four motors individually controls a wheel, but the car still features a two-speed gearbox with a gear designed specifically for off-road performance. Mercedes EQ says this will prepare a future production EQG for its ultimate test at the 4700-foot Schöckl mountain, a high-incline trail that has been used to test generations of G-Class cars for off-road capability.

mercedes eqg concept
Mercedes EQ

Mercedes EQ is calling the EQG Concept a "near-production study" for now, but the design clearly indicates plans for an all-electric G-Wagen in the near future. If produced, it would complement the EQS SUV revealed earlier today at the top of the company's electric SUV line.

Check out the other new reveals Mercedes EQ debuted today: