The Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung reports that Magna Steyr has extended its contract for producing the Mercedes G-Class until 2034.
The Magna Steyr plant is currently in a very strong position. After the announcement two weeks ago regarding the contract with the Chinese manufacturer GAC for production of the AION V SUV, Mercedes will continue production of the G-Class at the Graz plant until 2034.
We also expect Mercedes G-Class production to increase, considering that the cabriolet version will be launched soon.
The Mercedes G-Class has been assembled at Magna Steyr since 1979, meaning for more than four decades. The 500,000th Mercedes G-Class rolled off the production line in April 2023.
There are also rumors about a possible contract between Magna Steyr and McLaren for the production of a future SUV.
Kronen Zeitung claims that McLaren Automotive Holdings is in negotiations with Magna for the production of two high-performance electric models. These could be versions of the long-planned new SUV. According to information provided by the Austrian newspaper, negotiations seem to be in the final stages, and if they are concluded, the new electric McLaren SUV could debut in 2028.
McLaren has been trying for several years to finalize plans for an SUV, but so far without success. There were rumors in 2022 and 2024 that McLaren would cooperate with BMW, but these were not confirmed.
Later, McLaren merged with the start-up Forseven, and there are reports that Forseven is already secretly working on some models. These models could now carry the McLaren badge.
The future McLaren SUV is expected to compete with the Ferrari Purosangue as well as Ferrari’s first electric car, which will be a four-door, four-seat GT.
Rumors suggest a production of up to 30,000 units for the new McLaren SUV, but it is hard to believe such numbers could be realistic. McLaren sold only 3,200 cars in 2024, and such a figure would represent nearly ten times its current production.
The new Lotus Eletre, a high-performance electric sports SUV developed by Geely—Lotus’s new owner—found 6,970 customers in 2023 and 12,134 in 2024. And next spring, the new Porsche Cayenne Electric will also debut on the market.
