The Ford Bronco And Jeep Wrangler Are Getting Competition From … Mercedes?

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is about to pop its top! The German brand has confirmed that the G-Class will soon be offered in a cabriolet version.

Save for a limited edition Mercedes-Maybach model, the G-Class was last available as a convertible in 2013, but the latest second generation version has only been sold as a four-door hardtop.

Mercedes-Benz said the new one will be sold around the world, including in the U.S., where it will be the only SUV with a removable top aside from the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco.

While far from a direct competitor to the American models on price, the G-Class is one of the only midsize truck-based SUVs left with real off-road capability. The Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and Lexus GX being the others, none of which offer a convertible model.

Mercedes-Benz released a single teaser image of the vehicle that shows it in a shadowy profile, revealing that it retains its roofline over the cabin and has a cargo bed unobstructed by roll bars like the Wrangler’s and Bronco’s are.

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The hardtop G-Class currently starts at $149,400 and can be optioned up to more than $200,000, but Mercedes-Benz hasn’t indicated where the cabriolet will be priced or when it will go on sale.

The G-Class was designed by Mercedes-Benz, but is manufactured for it by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, unlike most of its other large SUVs that are assembled in the USA.

There is actually one official open-top version of the latest G-Class already, but it was never offered for sale. Mercedes-Benz turned the electric G-Class model into a Popemobile that was donated to The Vatican when Pope Francis held the office, as he was an environmentalist who supported electric vehicles.