ge4953094766745505649
Rod Chapman16 Oct 2014
NEWS

Mercedes-Benz G-Professional hits Oz

Victorian Government orders over 300 fire-fighting G-Professional 4WDs, but no retail sales on the horizon
Mercedes-Benz has inked a deal that will see 306 G-Professional 4WDs supplied to Victoria's Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI), but says at this stage there are no plans to release the new model for retail sale.
The government department has already taken delivery of the first examples of the model, which was developed specifically to meet DEPI's fire-fighting needs and features substantial local engineering input.
The contract is said to be worth $35 million, with the full order to be supplied within the next three to five years.
DEPI recently took delivery of its first G-Professional, the presentation attended by (pictured from left to right) Brian Carr (Mercedes-Benz Senior Manager, National Fleet & Pre-Owned Vehicle Sales), Ryan Smith (Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change), Horst Von Sanden (Mercedes-Benz CEO), and Brad Kelly (Mercedes-Benz General Manager, Sales).
Assembled at Mercedes-Benz's production facility in Graz, Austria, the G-Professional is essentially a commercial-vehicle version of the military-spec G-Wagon, of which Mercedes-Benz has supplied around 2500 units to the Australian Army in both 4x4 and 6x6 formats.
While supply of the Australian Army G-Wagon is about to conclude, the Graz facility will now turn its attention to the production of the Australian-spec G-Professional.
The G-Professional's chassis falls somewhere between the heavier BR461 chassis of the military vehicle and the lighter BR463 chassis of the civilian G350/G500/G63 variants, with a heavy bias towards the military-grade specification.
Only available in a 4x4 format, the G-Professional is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with dual-range transfer case, just like its camouflaged counterparts. Producing a claimed 135kW at 3800rpm and 400Nm between 1600-2600rpm, the model comes with front, centre and rear differential locks and a 650mm fording ability.
The DEPI G-Professional boasts a voluminous 630-litre water capacity and a hefty maximum 1950kg payload, along with a specialist electronics package related to its fire-fighting ability, airbags, an electronic stability program, cabin fire curtains and an automatic hose reel.
According to David McCarthy, Senior Manager Corporate Communications, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific, the delivery of the first G-Professionals to DEPI marks a milestone in the model's development.
"We think the G-Wagon has proven itself in so many environments and this is yet another environment in which it will demonstrate its capability," he says.
McCarthy says the contract was awarded after a lengthy and arduous tender process.
"DEPI made its decision based on a thorough total cost of ownership analysis and we're extremely proud to have been awarded this contract," he says.
"Having said that, the important thing for us is not just the contract itself but the extra protection level the G-Professional offers its users."
The model boasts fitments to strengthen its cab, thereby offering its occupants additional protection from falling debris – a common hazard in many bushfire environments.
"Obviously, those vehicles and the people who use them are at high risk, so any extra level of protection or the ability to carry more water is a huge asset."
McCarthy says the G-Professional can carry an extra 200 litres of water compared to the vehicle it's replacing.
"With 306 vehicles that's effectively like DEPI having an extra 200 vehicles on the fire line," he says.
Prototypes of the G-Professional first appeared in Australia around four years ago. McCarthy says Mercedes-Benz's experience with the Army contract laid a solid foundation for the G-Professional program.
"For us it's that local engineering capability that makes the difference," he says.
"We [Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific] have quite a strong local engineering capability; we have the benefits of understanding the local market, and of our experience with the local military contract.
"Our guys probably know the G-Wagon as well as anyone. For knowing what was required [for the G-Professional], what sort of specification it needed, and what sort of purpose we were going to aim it at, that local engineering capability was very, very useful."
While Mercedes-Benz is remaining tight-lipped regarding any other contracts it may be negotiating for the G-Professional, McCarthy says the model has plenty of scope.
"We look forward to other fire services around the country putting their hand up for this vehicle because in terms of its performance, functionality and value, we think it's incredible," he says.
"There's an opportunity there for fire authorities to actually be at the forefront of not just firefighter safety but also the ability to fight fires."
Should those authorities take Mercedes-Benz up on that offer, McCarthy estimates there's potential for "around a thousand" G-Professionals to be sold in the next five years.
Off-road enthusiasts, however, will have to wait. While production of the G-Professional has begun and DEPI has already taken delivery of its first examples, McCarthy says retail buyers shouldn't get their hopes up – at least, not yet.
"One of the limitations we have is the ability of the factory to produce these vehicles," he says.
"There's actually not that much capacity at the factory so, at this point, as for making them available to retail customers, no – we're not.
"If someone wanted to buy say 20 G-Professionals of the absolute same spec we could probably accommodate it, but for individual vehicles we simply don't have the capacity in the plant at the moment – but that's not to say it won't happen in the future."
Share this article
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Download the carsales app
    AppStoreDownloadGooglePlayDownload
    App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
    © CAR Group Ltd 1999-2024
    In the spirit of reconciliation we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.