Mercedes’ upcoming baby-G was supposed to be the cute, chunky electric-only gateway into G-Class ownership. But the automotive market is changing fast, and so are Benz’s plans, as it reacts to cooling demand for EVs in some markets, especially for its own electric cars. As a result, the boxy SUV will now come with hybrid power.

More: Mercedes Wants This Baby G-Wagen To Win Buyers The Big One Never Could

Internally nicknamed Little G, Autocar reports, the compact, GLB-sized, two-row off-roader is due in 2027 and will still be available as a pure EV. But a companion hybrid model is now in development, using the turbocharged four-cylinder from the latest Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan.

The change speaks to a wider reset inside Mercedes. The company has stepped back from its earlier EV-only plans, with CEO Ola Källenius confirming it will keep selling combustion models well into the 2030s to stay flexible across different markets. Tepid demand for the electric G-Class has, by most accounts, helped concentrate minds.

Read: Mercedes’ Electric G Flops So Hard It Could Change What Comes Next

The hybridized 1.5-liter unit is designed by Mercedes and built by Horse Powertrain in China, a joint venture involving Geely and Renault. Exactly how much kick it will deliver in the Little G is unknown, but the new CLA 220 hybrid makes 208 hp (211 PS) and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque, and gets to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 7.1 seconds.

In the CLA, the engine is paired with a gearbox-mounted electric motor that allows short periods of engine-off driving.

450-mile Range

Prefer your G a little more refined? The EV variant will reportedly come standard with two motors and all-wheel drive to preserve off-road credibility, Autocar says.

Also: Mercedes’ Smallest SUV Points To A Different Kind Of Compact Future

An 85 kWh NMC battery is tipped to deliver close to 450 miles (724 km) of WLTP range, which would be seriously impressive for something shaped like a luxury brick – it’s not far short of the CLA 350 sedan’s 418-479 miles (672-771 km) figures. The full-size electric G580 with EQ technology, you might recall, is only rated for 280 WLTP miles (450 km).

Regardless of powertrain, the Little G will be sold exclusively with four-wheel drive, and both versions are tipped to feature advanced torque vectoring capable of distributing drive to individual wheels to mirror the off-road ability of the larger G-Class.

Slab Sides

Where the baby G does follow its big brother’s lead, though, is in military-chic charm. Unofficial renders from Nikita Chuyko for Kolesa give us a credible idea of what the finished SUV could look like, showing round headlights, upright glass, three big side windows and a tailgate-mounted spare.

It looks like someone left a G-Class in the dryer too long, and the good news is the slow-selling G580 EV’s $163k price should also shrink, hopefully by around 50 percent.

Unlike many compact crossovers pretending to be rugged, the Little G is said to ride on a bespoke ladder-frame platform rather than sharing underpinnings with Mercedes’ electric GLC or C-Class.

That should help it take on the incoming Land Rover Defender Sport, the Little G’s most natural rival, though that gets a unibody structure. We can’t wait to see them duke it out in the dirt next year.

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Sales of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class surged 23 percent last year to a record 49,700 vehicles. Not bad for a machine that still drives like it could climb a mountain on the school run. Now, those who can’t get enough of the G-Wagen will soon have another compelling, albeit smaller, option.

Read: Mercedes Wants This Baby G-Wagen To Win Buyers The Big One Never Could

The so-called ‘Little G’ is on the way, promising all the boxy attitude of the full-size model in a tighter, more affordable package. Positioned beneath the full-size model, the Little G marks Mercedes’ first serious attempt to stretch the G-Class name beyond a single model line.

A Compact G Takes Shape

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Also known as the mini G and baby G, this new addition to the Mercedes-Benz line-up should have enthusiasts paying close attention. It’s expected to rival the smaller Defender currently in development at Jaguar Land Rover. For now, it’s confirmed to launch as an all-electric model, while a combustion-powered version remains possible in the future.

The latest round of spyshots of the Little G shows the model testing in the depths of the European winter. While this prototype is still under heavy camouflage and some body cladding, there’s no hiding the overall shape. It looks just like a G-Class should, just scaled to about 70 percent and softened slightly around the edges.

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Found at the front are the circular headlights you’d expect, with outer rings that serve as the turn signals. It also has blocky front quarter panels and a remarkably flat hood. This particular prototype can also be seen on a set of mismatched wheels and with a pair of roof rails. Although future powertrain options have not been detailed, this prototype is clearly an EV, as evidenced by the lack of exhaust.

Like the larger G 580 with EQ Technology, the test cars appear to retain signature details such as a side-hinged rear door and an external spare wheel cover. On the electric version, that rear-mounted housing is expected to double as storage for charging cables, echoing the setup already offered on the full-size EV.

Bespoke Bones Beneath The Boxy Body

Underpinning the new model will be a bespoke chassis. According to the former chief technology officer of Mercedes, Markus Schäfer, the Little G will have a “miniature ladder-frame chassis,” adding that it will have similar qualities “when it comes to suspension and wheel size,” to the larger model.

EV Rollout Plan

Mercedes is set to launch the baby G as a fully electric SUV. Exact battery sizes and motor outputs are still under wraps, but expect it to borrow heavily from the tech already rolling out in Merc’s newer EVs, including the GLA and GLC electric models.

What it won’t get, according to Schäfer, is a range-extender setup. Smaller and mid-size Mercedes models are steering clear of that halfway-house solution, which means the Little G should stick with proper, full battery-electric hardware.

As for combustion power, nothing is confirmed. Mercedes hasn’t shut the door on it, but it hasn’t opened it either. If an ICE version does materialize, it’ll likely depend on the market. For now, the company is keeping its options open.

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Mercedes-Benz took a swing with the EQE sedan, but like the larger and more expensive EQS, it missed the mark. The model will quietly exit stage left before it reaches a second generation, clearing the way for a more conventional electric replacement built on familiar ground, the next-gen E-Class

Read: The EQE Gives Way To A Proper Sedan, The E-Class EQ

Badged as the E-Class with EQ Technology, the new electric sedan was recently spotted undergoing testing under heavy camouflage in Europe. The spy shots don’t offer much clarity on what the final design will look like, but it’s reasonable to expect some styling cues from the electric GLC, reshaped into a more conventional three-box sedan profile

Grille Wars Aren’t Over Yet

That’s where these renderings by Nikita Chuyko at Kolesa come in, offering a preview of what the finished car might look like. As with the GLC EV, it features a massive illuminated grille that dominates the front end. While BMW has started backing away from oversized grilles, Mercedes is going all-in with them.

For what it’s worth, the silver finish of the grille shown does nicely complement the car’s silver paint finish, so it doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb. Whether that same grille design will flatter a darker paint job is still an open question.

The E-Class EQ is also likely to get its own lighting treatment. Unlike the oddly sculpted headlights on the gas-powered version, this electric variant may adopt a cleaner look, potentially highlighted by star-shaped LED daytime running lights.

Also: BMW’s Neue Klasse Plan Starts To Blur As You Look At The 2027 5-Series

It’s a similar story at the back. Although the rear fascia shares a lot in common with the gas-powered E-Class, it could have distinctive taillights with new light signatures.

Another key difference we noticed on the prototype, and one reflected in these renderings as well, is the addition of a fourth side window that stretches behind the rear door frame. That said, Mercedes could also take a page from the Maybach S-Class, which uses a three-window layout with the final pane extending deep into the C-pillar.

What About Power?

Carscoops understands Mercedes-Benz’s new electric sedan will use the same MB.EA platform as the GLC EV. That likely means it’ll share the same powertrain and battery options too. The only variant of the GLC with EQ Technology currently on sale, the GLC 400 4Matic, features a 94 kWh battery and twin motors delivering 483 hp and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque.

The sizeable battery is enough to give the SUV up to 444 miles (715 km) of driving range on the WLTP cycle. Given the slightly sleeker shape and lower profile of the E-Class EQ, it may boast an even more impressive driving range. An advanced 800-volt electrical architecture will also support charging speeds of up to 330 kW.

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Mercedes might have eased back on its electric goals in the face of slowing global demand, but it still has plenty of hugely important EVs on the way. And this is one of them, the first ever electric C-Class, which debuts later this year.

If Mercedes sticks to current naming convention it’ll be saddled with the clunky C-Class with EQ Technology name, something we’re familiar with from models like the new GLC with EQ Technology, which made its global debut at the Munich Motor Show last September.

Related: Mercedes Refuses To Let Its Luxury Electric Sedan Die Just Yet

And that’s not all the new zero emissions sedan shares with the electric GLC. Both ride on Mercedes’ new MB.EA platform, while the smaller CLA sedan uses a different MMA architecture.

The C-class – which will be sold alongside an updated version of today’s combustion C-Class – also adopts the large, illuminated, traditional-look Mercedes grille that the GLC debuted, and which is expected to be rolled out across multiple model lines in the next couple of years.

450+ mile range

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Based on what we know of the GLC EQ, the electric C-Class will get 800-volt electrics, and the C400 version should have a 483 hp (489 PS / 360 kW) dual-motor drivetrain that gets it to 60 mph (97 kmh) in well under 5 seconds.

It could also get the same 94 kWh lithium-ion battery pack as the SUV, and if that’s the case, expect the lower, lighter sedan to improve on the GLC’s already excellent 443-mile (713 km) range.

Pillar-to-pillar screens

Glimpses of the C’s interior in previous spy shot hauls indicate that it’ll feature the same 39.1 inches (99.3 cm) MBUX Hyperscreen display that stretches right across the dashboard.

That’ll give the C-Class a very different interior ambience to its electric BMW i3 sedan rival, which is also schedule to debut this fall, but is believed to feature minimal conventional dashboard screens, favoring head-up displays instead.

The i3’s Neue Klasse exterior should mean the BMW feels more modern on the outside, too, though it could prove too futuristic for some fans who like the way the current 3-series looks.

One thing’s for sure, and it’s that electric sedan buyers are going to be spoiled for choice come 2027 when both cars land in dealerships. Which would you pick?

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The Mercedes EQ lineup has been an unmitigated disaster and a lack of demand forced the company to temporarily pause production to reduce swelling inventories. While assembly of the EQE, EQE SUV, EQS, and EQS SUV recently resumed, the automaker is already looking forward to a less blob-like future.

More: Mercedes’ New E-Class EQ Is Coming To Right The EQE’s Wrongs

That’s clear today as spy photographers have snapped the upcoming E-Class with EQ Technology. Terrible name aside, the EQE successor will fix the sins of the past with an all-new design that more closely resembles the ICE-powered model. As a result, it looks more like a sedan and less like a bar of Dove soap.

Caught undergoing testing in snowy conditions, the E-Class EQ is heavily disguised but will likely feature the brand’s new ‘iconic grille.’ The chrome-clad behemoth recently debuted on the GLC EV and will also be found on the upcoming C-Class EV. If its size didn’t draw enough attention, there’s an illuminated variant with 942 lights as well as a shining star.

The headlights and taillights are temporary units, but they’ll eventually be replaced by starry production components. We can also see an upward sweeping beltline and a greenhouse that echoes the one found on the C-Class EV. However, the E-Class is notable for having traditional door handles and mirrors that are mounted at the base of the A-pillar.

GLC EQ

Spy photographers haven’t gotten a good look inside, but the C-Class EQ follows in the footsteps of the CLA and appears to adopt a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14-inch infotainment system, and a 14-inch front passenger display. However, the more upscale E-Class EQ could take a page from the GLC and sport a massive 39.1-inch screen.

Read: Mercedes-AMG Forced To Kill Some Of Its Loudest Cars Under New EU Rules

The model will ride on the MB.EA platform and have a lot in common with the GLC EV. This means we can expect a two-speed transmission, a roughly 94 kWh battery pack, and a dual-motor all-wheel drive system producing a combined output of 483 hp (360 kW / 489 PS) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque.

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This setup enables the GLC 400 4MATIC to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4.3 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). The crossover also has a WLTP range of up to 444 miles (715 km).

Also: Mercedes Wants Baby G-Wagen To Win Buyers The Big One Never Could

When the battery is low, drivers will be thankful for the 800-volt electrical architecture and the 330 kW DC fast charging capability. It will enable the GLC to get up to 188 miles (303 km) of range in as little as 10 minutes.

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