Mercedes-Benz is reviving the G-Class Cabriolet almost a decade after the last open-top version of the hardcore off-roader was phased out.

New images show the new Cabriolet with its roof down and the folded fabric top occupying the space where the boot is on the regular G-Class. 

Technical details have yet to be disclosed, though the new images are of an AMG derivative with side-exit exhausts. The regular-bodied AMG G63 is powered by a 577bhp twin-turbocharged petrol V8.

No launch date has been revealed yet, but given the drop-top car is already testing and is a variant of a model already on sale, it is likely to arrive in the coming months.

The new G-Class Cabriolet is expected to carry a hefty premium over current models, which start at more than £130,000. 

Cabriolets have long been part of the G-Class line-up. The first, a two-door short-wheelbase model, was introduced as part of the original line-up in 1979 and was produced up until 2013.

Later came the ultra-luxury four-door G-Class Maybach G650 Landaulet, introduced in 2017 with a 621bhp twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine and based on the high-riding G63 4x4². Produced in a limited run of just 99 units, it combined a front hard top with a rear folding roof section, individual rear seats set back in the chassis and a price close to £600,000 in the UK.