The production of the new Mercedes-Benz G-Class has started in Graz

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The production of the new Mercedes-Benz G-Class has started at the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria, the place where it has been produced ever since 1979. Some of the employees who worked then, at the first G-Class generation, are still on site today.

“The new G-Class is raising the bar higher in all relevant areas. Our ‘longest-serving’ series is therefore perfectly equipped to continue its success story. In short, the new ‘G’ remains a ‘G’, only better”, says Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. Ola Kallenius visited the plant in Austria.

The highlight of the plant is the test track on the local mountain of Graz, the Schöckl. The test track includes 50 kilometers of actual operation.

The story starts back in the early 1970’s when an order from the Australian army for the Daimler-Benz AG (today Daimler AG) and Steyr-Daimler-Puch (today Magna Steyr) in Graz, Austria sparked the beginning of a star. The G-Class series production saw the light of day in 1979. A boxy passenger car that proudly stands today as the longest-serving in the Mercedes-Benz history.

Since then, more than 300,000 units have been produced, with the sales figures continuing to grow since 2009. Since 2012, the G-Class broke its sales records every year. 22,000 rugged SUVs were sold in 2017.