Following months of rumors, General Motors confirmed the return of the Hummer — with an Earth-friendly twist. The name previously attached to gas guzzling SUVs will now adorn an electric car sold under the GMC brand. Set to debut in a Super Bowl ad on Sunday, February 2, the electric Hummer will have specifications that are more supercar than truck.
Called the GMC Hummer EV, the reincarnated Hummer will have 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 pound-feet of torque. While a handful of cars — including the Faraday Future FF91 electric SUV — have achieved four-digit horsepower outputs, the Hummer EV will be the undisputed ruler of torque. Pickup trucks only recently passed the 1,000-lb.-ft. mark with diesel engines, after all. That tremendous power output will allow the Hummer EV to do zero to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds, according to GMC.
The Hummer EV will make its first public appearance in a 30-second Super Bowl ad during the second quarter of the big game on Sunday, GMC confirmed. However, the vehicle won’t be fully revealed until May 20, a GMC press release said. The automaker described the Hummer EV as a “truck,” but it’s unclear if the new vehicle will be a true pickup truck or an SUV. GMC has only released a teaser image of the grille so far.
An electric Hummer proves that anything can happen in the car world. Hummer started out making civilian versions of the military Humvee before eventually branching out to sell other vehicles based on regular GM platforms. In its original incarnation, Hummer was known for prioritizing off-road capability and macho swagger over gas mileage. It’s unclear how buyers will react to the Hummer name on an electric vehicle, but this should still be a boon to GMC. The truck-focused brand sells rebadged Chevrolet models, and has struggled to distinguish itself from Chevy. A 1,000-hp electric truck should take care of that.
The reincarnated Hummer will have plenty of competition. Startup Rivian plans to launch an electric pickup truck and SUV that will offer a similar combination of off-road capability and on-road performance. Ford is working on an electric version of its F-150 pickup, and the automaker’s Lincoln luxury brand will get an electric model based on the Rivian platform. Finally, the Tesla Cybertruck promises serious performance with DeLorean-like styling.
The GMC Hummer EV will be built at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck factory, which is getting a $2.2 billion upgrade to become the first GM factory dedicated to electric vehicles. The factory will also build the Cruise Origin self-driving car and other models.
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