Daimler CEO Ola Källenius confirmed plans for an electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class during a speech at the Automobilwoche Kongress in Berlin on Thursday, company spokesman Sascha Pallenberg revealed in a Twitter post.

Timing for the model, which could be dubbed an EQG, wasn't mentioned and it could be several years until we see it eventuate, as the big and blocky G-Class will require a substantial kilowatt-hour rating and Mercedes may want to wait until battery technology improves. In other words, don't expect the electric G-Class to be one of the 10 EVs Mercedes will introduce by the end of 2022.

A plug-in hybrid G-Class is likely to eventuate before any battery-electric version, and it could come with an AMG badge. AMG plans to introduce plug-in hybrid technology across its range and the Affalterbach tuner is known to be readying a powerful setup incorporating a V-8 to fill the void of its soon-to-be discontinued V-12 powertrains.

Note, if you want an electric G-Class today, there's a company in Austria by the name of Kreisel that offers an electric conversion, though so far the company has only shown converted versions of the previous-generation G-Class. Kreisel's setup features an 80-kwh battery and an electric motor at each axle for a combined 482 horsepower. One of the first people to take up Kreisel's G-Class electric conversion was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Interestingly, Källenius also revealed during his speech in Berlin that Mercedes had consided discontinuing the G-Class at one point. Fortunately, the automaker has come to its senses and, at least during Källenius' watch, the iconic SUV is safe for the foreseeable future.