BMW is Working on a G-Wagon Competitor

• This rugged SUV would be based on the X5’s platform.

• Production should take place in South Carolina, starting in late 2029.

• Both Gasoline and electric powertrains are a possibility.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon has long been an icon of the automotive world, attracting celebrities and enthusiasts alike.

Now, BMW wants to compete for the limelight with a rugged luxury off-roader of its own.

Indeed, sources have told Automotive News that the automaker is working on a model to compete with the G-Wagon that should be launched in four to five years.

Built on the same platform as the X5 crossover, the new off-roader, code-named G74, would also share its assembly plant, in Spartanburg, South-Carolina.

This mid-size platform was reportedly picked over the larger and more premium base of the X7 in order to make the G74 more manoeuvrable on tight wooded trails, which shows BMW is putting some thought into the capabilities of this upcoming model, not just its bling factor.

Similarly, the current X5 Silver Anniversary Edition is fitted with a lifted suspension, a locking differential, underbody protection and unique drive modes, all of which should be included in the G74 in a more extreme form.

Design is a key element of the G-Wagen’s appeal, as its unmistakable boxy shape and military origins make it stand out from every other luxury model.

BMW knows this, but it also knows it can’t simply make a boxy SUV of its own, as that would inevitably be perceived as an attempt to imitate rather than best the original.

Therefore, it will be very interesting to see which direction the company takes for the styling of the G74, which will have to look rugged and luxurious, but also unique, both from the G-Wagon and from all other SUVs, if it aspires to become an icon in its own right.

This will not be the only challenge facing BMW in this endeavour. Indeed, G-Wagon customers are very loyal, with 65% of them choosing a new G-wagon at trade-in, according to Edmunds.

Convincing them to take a look at a brand-new model from BMW which doesn’t yet have the heritage and prestige of their current G-Wagon could be quite tough.

Very few technical details are known at the moment, but we know BMW’s new platforms are developed to accommodate both gasoline and electric powertrains, so both options are on the table.

At the moment, the gasoline version (likely a hybrid of some kind) seems the most plausible, as interest over electric vehicles in general has been on a downturn over the last few months, and the electric version of the G-Wagen has been less popular than its gas-powered counterpart.

Further details might take a while to surface as the start of production is only expected in the second half of 2029, about a year after the last BMW XM is scheduled to roll off the same assembly line.

Source: Automotive News