Deliberately Irrational: The New Mercedes G-Wagen Cabrio Is All Want

Buying a vehicle as unique as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV is rarely a rational decision, it's far more of an emotional one, and for that reason, a G-Wagen convertible makes perfect sense, according to Michael Schiebe, the board member in charge of Mercedes-AMG as well as the head of the G-Class and Mercedes-Maybach divisions.

Mercedes recently confirmed that it will offer a Mercedes-Benz G-Class cabriolet and enthusiasts have gone crazy since. The last topless G-Wagen was produced about 13 years ago, and Schiebe said the question he's received the most in recent years was about the possibility of bringing a G cabrio back. So, he wasn't surprised by the overwhelming response to the news.

What was the hesitancy? “It is still a car that is not really rational.” said Schiebe. “Even though for most customers it will be their second or third car, going to a G-Class convertible is like OK, is that really a car that you need? No. But maybe this is what makes it so special, and this is why there will be the demand.”

The four-door G-Class Cabriolet will be sold in the U.S., perhaps as early as next year. Schiebe wouldn't say if there will be AMG or Maybach versions, but given that it's being developed by Schiebe’s team, and he is the head of AMG, G-Class, and Maybach, we wouldn't rule those variants out. The last iteration of a G-Class cabrio was the exclusive and opulent Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet which never made it stateside. Schiebe promised more information on the new G cabrio soon.

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Emotion Means Sound and Feel

Speaking of things that aren't rational, the emotional pull of AMG products is why engineers developed a combustion mode for its four-door super sedan based on the Mercedes-AMG GT XX concept to make it sound and feel like the electric sedan has a V-8 engine with simulated gear shifts. It has been dubbed “affasterdrive,” a wordplay on Affalterbach, the home of AMG.

Not all experiments have been a success, however. Asked if it was a mistake to offer the C63 with a four-cylinder engine and hybrid system replacing the traditional V-8, Schiebe said ‘no.’ When that decision was made, AMG wanted to put something on the road that no one else had done and brought Formula One technology into road cars with the hybrid system. “We could have explained it better to our customers,” he admitted, but he defended how it drives, and said it was faster than its predecessor on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

But the AMG boss acknowledged that customers count cylinders, and that must be factored into the equation. If people love a V-8, AMG must cater to their demands. And he admitted AMG was a more edgy brand when it had the C63 with a V-8—and AMG is more successful when it's edgier, like Batman.

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Bring Back V-8 For the S63?

Does that mean we could see AMG put its new family of V-8 engines into the S63? “Not at the moment,” said Schiebe. That answer does leave the door open to the possibility, of course.

We also asked Schiebe about the E63, given that the current E53 hybrid with a I-6 is more powerful than the outgoing S63. While Schiebe said he wouldn't comment on future products, he did note that although customers profess their love for V-8s, in the end they buy more I-6s.