Le Journal

Mercedes G580 electric G-Class now has a $10,000 incentive bonus. Previous lease-only bonus now expanded to all G580 transactions. Quad-motor electric G starts at $164,550 including destination. Mercedes-Benz’s decision to offer an all-electric version of the G-Class hasn’t come without controversy. After all, one of the most iconic and traditionally rugged off-roaders can now glide along in complete silence. Still, fresh off a strong 2025 for the G-Wagen lineup in America, Mercedes is moving ahead with its electrification strategy, now aiming to boost interest in the G580 with EQ Technology. Read: Mercedes’ Electric G Flops So Hard It Could Change What Comes Next The electric G-Class is currently offered with a $10,000 Incentive Bonus, now available whether you lease or buy the vehicle outright. Previously, this discount was capped at $5,000 and applied only to lease agreements, according to Cars Direct. Whether that’s enough to sway potential buyers is another matter entirely. The G580 starts at $164,550 including destination. However, as is often the case, finding one at base MSRP is nearly impossible. A quick search on Cars.com turned up 224 listings, with only a single example priced at MSRP. Most hovered between $180,000 and $190,000. Even so, at base price, a $10,000 discount, while not insignificant, doesn’t sound like it will do much to tip the scales. It amounts to roughly 6 percent off, and for typical G-Class buyers, that might equate to a minor financial blip, not a reason to commit. Sales Flop Mercedes recently confirmed it delivered 49,700 G-Class vehicles globally last year, a 23 percent jump over the previous year and a new high-water mark for the model. What it didn’t share is how many of those were the electric G580 and how many still carried internal combustion. However, reports from early last year described the G580 as a sales “flop,” noting that just 1,450 examples had been sold in Europe as of April 2025, and only 58 in China. It was also claimed that Mercedes had failed to sell a single example in the US, though that was never officially confirmed.

Mazda has reportedly delayed their EVs developed in-house. Instead of arriving in 2027, they could be pushed back to 2029. The company will reportedly focus on hybrids in the meantime. It appears you can add Mazda to the growing list of automakers that have delayed electric vehicles in the wake of lower than expected demand. According to reports out of Japan, the company’s first dedicated EV has been pushed back until at least 2029. Details are still murky, but Autonews cites Nikkei and Nikkan Jidosha as saying that production has been delayed by at least two years. Instead, the company will reportedly turn its attention to more popular hybrids. More: Mazda’s New EV Caught Testing In America While a spokesperson said Mazda hasn’t officially announced anything, they didn’t exactly deny the reports either. Quite the opposite, as in a statement to Autonews, they said, “We continue to advance the technological development of our proprietary BEVs based on our multi-solution strategy, and will determine the timing of their introduction while carefully assessing regulatory trends in each country and changes in customer needs.” This suggests launch plans are still up in the air and could slip beyond 2027. Test Mule Raises Questions Baldauf This is an interesting development as spy photographers snapped a mule undergoing testing in California late last year. The model wore a heavily modified CX-70 or CX-90 body and featured a fully enclosed grille as well as blocked off air curtains. The vehicle was said to be roughly the same size as the CX-50, but narrower than the body suggested. Little is known about the EV at this point, but it’s slated to ride on the Skyactiv EV Scalable Architecture. The platform was originally announced in 2021 and was supposed to be introduced last year. That obviously didn’t happen and it appears plans to introduce several vehicles on the architecture between 2025 and 2030 are also in jeopardy. These were set to include “various vehicle sizes and body types.” However, the situation has changed significantly in the past few years. In the United States alone, the Trump administration has enacted steep new tariffs and eliminated the clean vehicle tax credit. The latter has caused a significant drop in EV sales and a rethink by many automakers. Nevertheless, Mazda isn’t giving up on electric vehicles as the company recently introduced the CX-6e in Europe. It’s a Chinese collaboration with joint-venture partner Changan, and the model has a lot in common with the Deepal S07.

An investigation was underway following a stabbing Monday in Leimert Park toward the end of the Martin Luther King Jr. parade route, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The stabbing was reported just before 2 p.m. near McClung Drive and Stocker Street West, LAPD said. A crowd was gathered in the area for the parade at the time. For reasons unknown, a fight broke out within the crowd, leading to a stabbing. Police did not specify the severity of the victim’s injuries, No arrests were reported in connection with the stabbing, but two people were arrested for assaulting an officer in an unrelated case.

Several earthquakes rattled the low desert on Monday, with the strongest temblor being recorded at a magnitude of 4.9, according to the United States Geological Survey. Four earthquakes, all within roughly 5 minutes, were recorded in Indio, USGS says. The first was reported at 5:56 p.m. as a 4.9-magnitude earthquake that struck northeast of Indio at a depth of nearly 2 miles. The aftershocks ranged in magnitudes of 2.9 to 3.3, according to USGS. Residents in Palm Springs, Murrieta, Temecula and northern San Diego County reported feeling the series of temblors. No injuries or structural damage have been reported in connection with the earthquakes.