Electric "Gelik" crashed (3 photos)
Sales of the battery-powered G-Class, which debuted in 2024, to put it mildly, did not live up to expectations. This is reported by the Handelsblatt publication, citing comments from insiders within the company, whose assessments of the model range from a niche model with tiny production volumes to a complete failure. 
The publication says that over the year, the brand's sales representatives were able to sell 1,450 units of the G 580 with EQ Technology in Europe, 61 in South Korea and only 58 in China. Sales in the United States are called zero.
Customers were allegedly scared off by the prohibitively high cost of the electric Gelik. For example, in the US, its price starts at 161 thousand dollars.
The characteristics of the four-engine G 580 with EQ Technology did not particularly encourage potential buyers, starting from the excess weight of 3.5 tons and ending with the declared power reserve of 385 to 473 km, depending on the selected test cycle.
It is possible that the battery-powered G-Class may owe its sluggish sales to its fuel-powered relative. The familiar G-Class with an internal combustion engine is still being produced and is popular with customers. Thus, in the fourth quarter of 2024 alone, the model's circulation in the world amounted to almost 11 thousand units, an increase of 12% compared to 2023.
The publication assures that Stuttgart has drawn the appropriate conclusions from this story. Now the mini-gelik, which was supposed to have an electric drive and is currently in development, will most likely receive a hybrid power plant. 
