The off-road and electric worlds are still buzzing over the new GMC Hummer EV. Granted, it won’t go on sale for over a year and it’s well over $100,000, but the stats released by GMC certainly portray it as something of an EV super truck. That’s actually what GMC is calling the Hummer EV, but apparently, the plan wasn’t always to call it a Hummer.
That’s the word from a new report at Muscle Cars & Trucks, which recently spoke with GMC and Buick Vice President Duncan Aldred about the subject. The Hummer EV was teased way back at the beginning of 2020, but development of the truck was underway well before that point. However, the report says General Motors entered into the development process without envisioning this vehicle being a Hummer. As it progressed and folks began to comprehend its performance potential both on-road and off, the idea of reviving the Hummer nameplate seemed like a natural fit since the original H1 was also a supreme off-roader with a supreme price tag.
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Relaunching an entire brand, however, isn’t as simple as reviving an old model. That requires all kinds of background work and logistics, not the least of which includes a dealership network to actually sell it. Meanwhile, GMC was evolving with its Denali and AT4 lines, the former focusing on luxury with the latter highlighting off-road capability. Creating another GMC line devoted to high-end electric vehicles became a convenient solution, and as such the GMC Hummer EV was born.
The big question now is whether buyers will actually step up for a Hummer. The initial response suggests the answer is yes, as GMC claims it sold out of the Edition 1 model in just an hour. However, in this instance, sold out actually means all reservation spots were claimed, as the Hummer EV won’t actually go on sale until next year. A $100 refundable deposit is all that’s required to hold a spot, but that’s far from being a confirmed sale for the $112,595 truck. Furthermore, GMC admits it doesn’t actually have a fully functioning prototype yet, and sales won’t begin until a year from now.
Add it all up, toss in coronavirus, and there are still all kinds of variables that could affect the Hummer EV’s official entrance next year.
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