DETROIT, MI - Mercedes-Benz introduces the 2019 G-Class during a media preview at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in the historic Michigan Theater on January 14, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan.
(Photo : Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Australians just can't get enough of the Mercedes-Benz G Class. Sales of the luxury four-wheel-drive broke records in Australia last year, increasing by 120 percent compared to its 2020 numbers. Mercedes-Benz managed to accomplish that feat despite not taking any new orders for an extended period in the second half of 2021.
Industry data from VFACTS showed Mercedes-Benz selling 594 G-Class SUVS in Australia in 2021. That increased its market share to 14.5 percent, putting Mercedes-Benz's popular vehicle in third place in the 'upper large' luxury SUV segment.
A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz Australia told auto website Drive that more than 95 percent of the 594 units sold last year were longstanding back-orders for the company's flagship G63 variant. That vehicle is pricey, to say the least, with buyers coughing up more than $300,000 by the time the G-Class SUV hits the road.
Mercedes-Benz closes order books in Australia and US
The more affordable G400d diesel variant accounted for only a few percent of the total sales in 2021, even though Mercedes-Benz opened its order books for the vehicle in March and commenced deliveries in July of last year. That is because Mercedes-Benz decided to hit the pause button on new orders for all G-Class wagons around the second half of the year.
According to the Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson, buyers had to wait more than 12 months for deliveries of their brand-new orders. That forced Mercedes-Benz's hand and decided to close the order books last year to ease the backlog. The spokesperson added that nothing has changed at this stage regarding the status of the G-Class order books. Mercedes-Benz's primary focus is still on maintaining supply to fulfill the existing back-orders to its customers.
Australia is not alone when it comes to ordering issues with Mercedes-Benz. Buyers in the United States have the same problem, with Mercedes-Benz closing its order books there on January 17, 2022. Rumors are swirling that waiting times in some markets may last for up to three years, with deliveries even stretching to the fourth quarter of 2024.
Related Article: Czech Millionaire Tycoon Sparks Outrage in Germany After Racing Stunt With Bugatti on Autobahn
Price of G-Class soars as demand grows for popular SUV
Sales of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class skyrocketed Down Under ever since it returned to Australian showrooms in 2011 after an unsuccessful stint in the continent in the 1980s. Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen's meteoric rise is fueled by its latest-generation model that the company launched in 2018.
Sales of the G-Class SUV have increased since then, from 131 units in 2018 to 300 vehicles sold in 2019, and now 594 deliveries in 2021. Not even a $51,300 increase on the price of the current model of the flagship G63 has stopped Australian buyers from acquiring the Mercedes-Benz model. Soaring demand globally has resulted in a massive increase in the price of the G63, making it Mercedes-Benz Australia's most expensive SUV at the moment.
READ MORE ON AWN:
Bentley to Launch First EV in 2025: Will Invest $3.4 Billion to Make Brand Fully Electric by 2030
New Toyota Tundra Raptor Truck Allegedly in the Works as the Next Desert Dune Ready Vehicle
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
