Taking place at Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills, the event celebrated the launch of the brand new electric G-Class car
Back in the early 2000s, when MTV was in its prime, every week people across the world were summoned by the sound of “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield in the theme tune of the reality TV show The Hills. At the time, the cast’s every move was documented. So when Audrina Patridge was first pictured in her white G-Wagon shopping on Melrose, the car became synonymous with Los Angeles life and glamour. While the first G-Class was released in 1979, it was that generation of Y2K celebs who brought the car to the mainstream, making it one of the most desirable, and expensive, accessories to have.
For the Gen Z kids who were maybe too young to remember Audrina and her G-Wagon, during the 2013 MSFTSrep and King Kylie era of Tumblr matte black versions were almost always spotted being reblogged on the most prominent ‘pale grunge’ blogs. Even within the world of fashion, the impact of the G-Class can be traced. Just a year before he passed, the late Virgil Abloh partnered with Mercedes-Benz to collaborate on “Project Geländewagen”, where he redesigned the original vehicle.
Now, further celebrating the G-Class’ prominence in pop culture, Mercedes-Benz is entering a new era with its first-ever fully electric vehicle. To launch its newest G–Class, the car behemoth hosted creatives, celebs and global media in Los Angeles for the ultimate celebration of the history and future of the car. “Los Angeles is a place famous for its legends, which is why we chose to reveal our new electric car right there in Beverly Hills. For over four decades, the vehicle has shown its ability to go almost anywhere on the planet, and tonight the tables were turned,” explains Bettina Fetzer, vice president of communications and marketing of Mercedes-Benz AG. “We’re very grateful that so many of our beloved G-family, like Kendall Jenner, Bradley Cooper and Travis Scott joined us to celebrate the relaunch of our icon tonight.”
From performances in water to the launch of the new car, here’s what went down.
THE LAUNCH UNVEILED THE BRAND-NEW ELECTRIC G-CLASS
Launched on Tuesday night, Mercedes revealed the latest iteration of the famous G-Class. As the car company’s first-ever fully electric vehicle, the Mercedes Benz G580 features brand new off-road features, a refined, squared-off silhouette and marks a new beginning for the company. Alongside the official launch of the G580, guests also got to take a look through the brand’s history with a showcase featuring a range of iconic G-Classes, including Kendall Jenner’s personal car. As a longtime fan of Mercedes, Jenner loaned her navy blue G-500 Cabriolet, which was on display for the whole day.
THE EVENT WAS HIDDEN IN THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA
Aside from the display of the brand new car, the night’s main highlight was a surprise performance from Travis Scott. Arriving in the brand new electric blue G-580, the rapper drove onto a stage suspended in the middle of the lake. Not many people can say they did a full set on a body of water but the entirety of Scott’s show took place on the striking stage. Testing the vehicle’s newest sturdy features in real time at one point actually hopped onto the roof and stood on top of the car to finish his performance.
