The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is heading into the future, but don’t expect the legendary off-roader to trade its character for a shiny new set of batteries and a software update.

Mercedes is already working on the next-generation G-Class, with Stefan Weckbach, boss of Mercedes-AMG and the G-Class and Maybach businesses, promising that the boxy bruiser will remain unmistakably a G. The challenge? Modernise the machinery without losing the magic.

And Mercedes has a few lessons to learn. The four-cylinder plug-in hybrid AMG C63 might be a technical tour de force, but it hasn’t exactly converted every traditional AMG fan.

Chief executive Ola Källenius admitted the company underestimated the loyalty of its V8-loving customers. Turns out, some people really do want their performance cars with eight cylinders and a suitably thunderous soundtrack.

Mercedes appears to be listening. A V8-powered CLE63 is expected next year, while hints about the future of V12 engines suggest the big-cylinder brigade may not be finished just yet.

That doesn’t mean AMG is giving up on electric performance. Its dedicated AMG.EA platform will feature axial-flux motors and directly cooled battery cells, bringing serious firepower to future EVs.

For now, there’s no confirmed arrival date for the next G-Class. But the brief is refreshingly simple: embrace tomorrow’s technology without forgetting what made the G-Class great in the first place.

In other words, evolve the G. Don’t lob its soul in the recycling bin.