The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is unique among all Mercedes models. It’s the only one of its kind in the German automaker’s lineup that’s able to balance an off-road identity with sporty and luxury goods surrounding it. It could also evolve into a model that plays into those two latter characteristics. That’s the word coming out of G-Class product chief Dr. Gunnar Guthenke, who hinted that a hotter S version of the Mercedes-AMG G 63 and a Maybach G-Class could be in the works.

If Mercedes decides to branch out the G-Class, it will mark a big step in the model’s 39-year history. We’ve already seen what a high-performance G-Class can do if it Mercedes-AMG is given the task of having a go at it, but the idea behind a hotter “S” version appears to be grounded on the belief that the SUV ’s full performance potential has yet to be tapped. Can you imagine what an AMG G 63 S is capable of if the “standard” G 63 already has 577 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque at its disposal? It might not just be in terms of power, either. We could be looking at across-the-board improvements if such a model arrives.

That seems to be the position G-Class product chief Dr. Gunnar Guthenke is talking about in a conversation with Auto Express. According to Dr. Guthenke, there’s still room for improvement with the G 63, specifically in the handling department. “Previously, you’d never have had the steering and dynamics for an S,” he said.

His comments come at a time when Mercedes has already applied trademark for the name “G73.” It may not be the “S” variant that Dr. Guthenke is talking about, but it could be the range-toping version of the G-Class that will help elevate its status among luxury SUVs. That model, by the way, reportedly features a 4.0-liter, biturbo, V-8 engine and a plug-in hybrid setup that helps push its output up to 800 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. The idea of a plug-in hybrid, 800-horsepower Mercedes-AMG G 73 that has the steering and dynamics of an “S” variant is intriguing, to say the least.

But it’s also not the only “new” G-Class that’s on the horizon. According to Dr. Guthenke, there’s already talk of building a follow-up model to the Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet. "We have had Maybach with Landaulet,” he said. “We want to nurture this tradition.”

It’s still unclear how Mercedes plans to proceed with this plan, but if it does, it’s going to have to be a suitable successor to a limited-edition model that captured the world’s attention when it made its debut last year as, quite possibly, one of the most audacious cars in recent history. A part-convertible, part-gargantuan G-Wagen, the G650 Landaulet was the very definition of excessive, and we loved it because of that. Only 99 units were built, each with a price tag of €630,000 or just under $770,000 based on today’s exchange rates. Predictably, all 99 units were sold, including the final production model that went for €1.2 million ($1.47 million) at a Bonham’s auction.

If Dr. Guthenke wants Mercedes-Maybach to “nurture this tradition,” it’s going to have to raise the bar the G650 Landaulet set. That’s a tall order in it of itself.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

Read our full review on the 2018 Mercedes-AMG G63.

Read more Mercedes-Benz news.