Automotive

GMC flips on the lights of 1,000-hp all-electric Hummer super-truck

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GM teases the new face of Hummer . We don't know what the rest will look like yet, but we do know it'll rock more than a thousand ponies.
General Motors
In announcing renovations to its Detroit-Hamtramck plant on Monday, General Motors showed this silhouette teaser of an all-electric pickup truck
General Motors
GM teases the new face of Hummer . We don't know what the rest will look like yet, but we do know it'll rock more than a thousand ponies.
General Motors
Monday, January 27, General Motors President Mark Reuss announces a $2.2 billion investment at its Detroit- Hamtramck (MI) assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs
General Motors
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The ultimate symbol of the fuel-drunk XL SUV excess of the 1990s, "Hummer" was an obvious Public Enemy #1 when tastes turned to smaller, cleaner, more efficient commuters. Not long after the turn of the millennium, the world stopped embracing laughably inefficient, oversized light military vehicles for the road and chased Hummer into hiding. At the dawn of a new decade, is the world now ready to welcome a new, improved Hummer back into the fold? What if it promises to play nicely with the environment this time around? We'll get to find out because General Motors confirms that the nameplate is on its way back and will be tattooed across the seven-slat face of an all-electric GMC truck with supercar-like specifications.

With military roots and imposing dimensions, Hummers, particularly H1s, were always larger-than-life vehicles. And if one thing is made clear in today's GMC Hummer announcement, it's that the new Hummer will revive that larger-than-life legacy. A "revolutionary zero-emissions truck," the GMC Hummer will feature an electric drive with no fewer than 1,000 horses (745 kW) and 11,500 lb-ft (15,590 Nm) of torque. That will send what should rightfully be a beast of a truck screaming to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in a mere 3 seconds.

"GMC builds premium and capable trucks and SUVs, and the GMC Hummer EV takes this to new heights," says Duncan Aldred, Buick and GMC vice president.

Hummer won't be returning quietly. General Motors will make some noise in bringing it back, kicking the marketing campaign off with a 30-second Super Bowl ad entitled "Quiet Revolution," to air during the second quarter of the game on Sunday. That ad will focus on the new truck's quiet but potent on/off-road performance. GMC will also take over the YouTube homepage masthead on Friday, January 31 as part of the marketing blitz.

Monday, January 27, General Motors President Mark Reuss announces a $2.2 billion investment at its Detroit- Hamtramck (MI) assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs
General Motors

Though the marketing is underway, the GMC Hummer EV won't make its official world premiere until May 20, 2020, long before sales start in Fall 2021. GM will build it at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which will receive a US$2.2 billion overhaul to become GM's first assembly plant dedicated solely to electric vehicle production.

In an announcement about its Detroit-Hamtramck plans on Monday, General Motors said that its first all-electric truck will be a pickup to enter production in late 2021. That lines up with the GMC Hummer EV details released today, so the new Hummer won't be a Jeep-style 4x4 but a pickup truck, and going by the silhouette teased during Monday's press conference, it will be a traditional pickup, not a 4x4 with short bed like the original H1 or Jeep Gladiator.

In announcing renovations to its Detroit-Hamtramck plant on Monday, General Motors showed this silhouette teaser of an all-electric pickup truck
General Motors

We're not really sure that launching a ridiculously overpowered toy truck is the best way to convince the world it's an all-new day for the Hummer brand, but that's what GM is going to do. And we look forward to watching. At the very least, a neutral-ground Hummer vs. Tesla Cybertruck tug of war should be a whole lot more compelling than the F-150/Cybertruck marketing footage Elon Musk showed at the Cybertruck premiere.

Source: General Motors

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17 comments
martinwinlow
Honestly! Who gives a damn! What we *do* need is diminutive, affordable, efficient and *available* EVs for the masses. The first company to crack that market will clean up.
buzzclick
The manufacturers will make sure that all manner of cars and trucks will be available for the market. The "eco-friendly green" revolution in the auto world has already begun to prep the masses to keep on buying. The competition is fierce and will only get heavier.
MikeDalton
martinwinlow - Why diminutive?
JonathanPDX
Alright! Just what I need on a freeways full of hybrid ankle-biters during rush hour!
neoneuron
Nothing like a "gas efficient vehicle" for the rich eh? What do you think will happen to gas prices when we suck gas at that rate?? Disgusting!!
KR R
Thank you for the story. Please keep us current on any new facts or pics. I would prefer it to be affordable and reliable with great corrosion-resistance. We still a lot of newer cars covered in rust. New cars cost more than I paid for a house 15 years ago. Its a runaway train.
DaveWesely
In terms of marketing, I think this is a good idea. Anyone who follows BEVs knows that adding power to an electric vehicle adds little weight or space, so why not? An under-powered EV is a bad move by the engineering or marketing department. What better way to show the potential for electric than with a beast of a Hummer.
clay
American car makers can't cut a break with some people. I think It's a great idea. They are taking one right out of Elon Musk's Execution Book: Make a big/fast/flashy expensive Showroom Queen and then follow up with the everyman truck that still has a little bit of the splash...

Look at how effective the GMC Syclone was, back in 1991 (it was a lot of fun to drive too)... Or the Buick Grand National... or the Mustang GT...

It's a nice spin on the ole' Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday.

Bring on the electrified BEASTS!
Yakov Dragunov
We had 'dimunitive' once. It did not sell well except to little old ladies who only drove it to church on Sundays. It was called the 'Baker Electric'. It's problem was lack of battery technology. Course it was verrry ahead of its time so it got a lot less play than the 'Airflow Chrysler' of the 1930s. The old Bakers , produced from 1899 to 1913 pioneered shaft drive as well. With the primitive lead-zinc batteries installed, it weighed in over 3000 pounds. Narrow tires made turns a bit...hazardous! The high price drove all but the rich old ladies away. That said, those old ladies were the first "Little Old Ladies from Pasadena" when they started beating all the other cars in races unless they lost it on turns and crashed.
ljaques
And the best news is that GMC guarantees the mileage of the 400kW batteries. Yup, 34 miles per fill-up or your money back, folks! (Does not include performance runs, such as 0-60 in 3s.)