Mercedes Benz G-Class or G Wagon is one of the most popular brands sold by the German automaker, Mercedes-Benz.
However, there are some tit-bits that you probably didn’t know about this box-styled, off-roader Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).
These are…
- G-Wagon is the short form of the German word Geländewagen, which means “cross country vehicle”.
- Development of the brand started in 1972, which makes it one of the longest produced Mercedes-Benz in Daimler’s history, with a span of 35 years. Only the Unimog surpasses it.
- The brand is not manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. It is manufactured by an Austrian auto company called Magna Steyr, formerly Steyr-Daimler-Puch, and sold by Mercedes-Benz.
- It was developed as a military vehicle on the suggestion of a former Supreme Leader of Iran, Shah of Iran, who was then a Mercedes-Benz shareholder. The Shah of Iran has since been replaced by another Supreme Leader called Ayatollah Khomeini.
- The brand got a civilian model in 1979, the same year the Shah of Iran was overthrown. It is sometimes referred to as the “Wolf” in the civilian version.