Stronger than wind: designing the electric G-wagen

► New electric G revealed in Beijing 
► Looks like the previous car…
► …But features a few aero tweaks

The electric G-Class is here, and it represents two firsts for Mercedes. It’s the first Mercedes EV to exist without specific EQ branding – it’s also the first electric product from Stuttgart that doesn’t look like a streamlined, land speed record car. 

Where the EQ series uses tech such as wing-mounted cameras, aero wheels and bulbous grilles to slip through the air, the electric Gelandewagen makes do with the same shoebox profile as it always as. Let’s be honest, although iconic, the G-Wagen’s side profile alone probably gives Adrian Newey reoccurring nightmares. 

So, how has Mercedes retained those iconic G-Class looks while keeping the range in the triple figures? We spoke to Robert Lesnik, Mercedes’ Director of Exterior Design to find out how Stuttgart made the G go EV. 

‘At a certain point, to make something electric does not make sense if you don’t offer certain range to a customer,’ Lesnik admits. ‘If you would have a car with 100km range, that would not make sense. So, there are certain expectations that you have to fulfil.’ 

That’s true of any of EV, but the G-Class comes with a whole separate set of boxes to tick. Much like a Rolex Submariner, it’s a tool that’s become more luxurious and refined all the time – but it still has to look like the original model that started the whole brand. That’s the problem with improving icons; you can’t really change them too much.

‘You cannot change the character – you do not want to change the character. You don’t want to change it because then nobody will by it because it’s not the G anymore.’

‘So, what do you do with a car like this, a shoe box.’ 

Although the facelifted G looks almost identical to the previous car, it features a range of aero tweaks designed to keep its drag co-efficient this side of a building. Have a quick glance and you’ll miss them- but look closer and they reveal themselves. ‘From 20 metres you should not spot the difference,’ says Lesnik. They’re small but they add up.

Updated G-Class models get reworked A-Pillars, which Merc says massively reduces turbulence. Look toward the top of the