Mercedes-Benz Launches 2018 G-Class Teaser Campaign, Starts with the Roots

As we've said before, the history behind the G-Wagen is what keeps other brands such as Audi or BMW from trying to sweep in in the segment and create a rival for the Merc. That and the fact none of them has any real off-road credentials.

The first G-Class dates back to 1979, but actual development had started as early as 1972. The Gelandewagen was a joint effort of Mercedes-Benz and Austrian company Magna Steyr, with the former in charge of designing and the latter taking care of manufacturing.

After nearly 40 years of minimal changes, this new generation will bring the first major makeover for the G-Wagen, with almost everything about the SUV set to be modified. That being said, Mercedes knows how to handle a legend such as this, so expect to see a very familiar face early next year when the new model is set to have its debut.

In expectation of the big moment, the company has launched a teasing campaign of sorts that looks to mark the ten most important moments in the model's history. Under the hashtag #strongerthantime, Mercedes is rolling out one short clip for each of these milestones.

As you would expect, it is starting with 1979, the year the first generation of the G-Class was launched. The rest are available in a special section of the mercedes-benz.com website and they include the Pope picking the SUV as the Popemobile in 1980, the 1983 Paris-Dakar victory, the 1989 variations in the lineup with added luxury and cabrio version, the first AMG model in 1999, the 2012 facelift, the 2013 G 63 AMG 6x6, the 2015 G 500 4x4^2, and the freaky 2017 Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet. That would be nine defining moments in the G's 38-year-long history, with the tenth coming next January at the Detroit Motor Show.