Yahoo Autos Mercedes G-Class and Tesla Model X Sold in Nearly Identical Numbers in 2016
Magna Steyr has built more than 250,000 G Wagens for Mercedes-Benz since 1979, but this nearly-four-decade-old military truck/fashion accessory has never been as popular as it is right now. For a good reason, of course: It's better than ever.
While Mercedes-Benz is busy cooking up a lighter, safer, smarter and more spacious G Wagen successor for 2018, the current version's biggest market remains North America. So it may not surprise you that 2016 was the old-school 4x4's biggest year yet. And that the 20,000th example to roll off the assembly line was a super-luxe G63 in "designo mystic white bright."
"Designo manufaktur," of course, is the in-house customization program offered by Mercedes to buyers of the G-Class and other luxury delights. This way, your already-hand-built G Wagen can be even more exclusive than your neighbor's.
What's interesting is that Magna managed to build 20,000 Gs before December 1 of this year. That's easy to compare with Tesla's production numbers for the Model X, since their fiscal year is based on the calendar year.
In Q1, Tesla built 2659 SUVs. In Q2, the company cranked out 4625, and onward to reach 8700 units by the time Q3 ended in September. That's 15,984 Model Xes made from January to October. As for Q4, Tesla had this to say:
"We expect Q4 deliveries and production to be at or slightly above Q3, despite Q4 being a shorter quarter and the challenge of delivering vehicles in winter weather over holidays."
If the Tesla team manage to build 9000 of their falcon-doored minivans in Q4, Tesla will be roughly at 25,000 Model Xes by the end of the year. That's a clear victory over a vastly expensive niche off-roader originally designed for the German military in 1979.
Mind you, 2016 was probably the last time Magna's G division had a chance of keeping up with Tesla's Model X production figures. But it's an interesting comparison: Two trendy, expensive utility vehicles selling in nearly identical numbers, despite being as opposite as two designs could ever be.
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