In the world of electric pickup trucks, the GMC Hummer is a freshman among other vehicles that have been in the public eye for months, if not years. Arriving late to the party apparently isn’t phasing GM, as the rebooted Hummer moniker is slated to hit dealerships in the fall of 2021, right around the time other EV trucks are expected to arrive. However, speaking at today’s Capital Markets Day presentation to investors, GM President Mark Reuss suggested the Hummer could actually beat all EV trucks to market.
Pickup Truck Future:
That’s a very bold statement in many ways, not the least of which being the Rivian R1T’s expected arrival this year. We’re assuming Reuss either wasn’t aware of Rivian’s timetable, or doesn’t consider the automaker a competitor. Never the less, Rivian is building an electric truck that looks quite good thus far, and if all goes according to plan, it will be the first to arrive.
It’s also tough to overlook GM’s current state of electrification. Technically speaking, GM beat everyone with its EV1 way back in the 1990s, but right now the only electrified GM product for sale in the U.S. is the Bolt, and that's about as far away from a massive Hummer EV pickup as you can get. In recent years the company stepped away from hybrids among all its divisions, killed the Chevrolet Volt and Cadillac ELR, and until this Hummer bombshell, GM showed little life in the electric realm.
There’s no question that Tesla shook the pickup world with its bonkers Cybertruck reveal last fall. Whether or not it actually enters production with its crazy shape, Tesla managed to steal the EV pickup truck limelight from everyone. And with trucks being the absolute bread and butter for North American automakers, we suspect there’s now some serious pressure for the Detroit Three to not get beat at its own game. Hence the GMC Hummer and an apparent desire to be the first EV truck people can buy.
Hummer Is Reborn:
It will be a race to market for sure. Rivian aside, Ford should have an all-electric F-150 available next fall and we know Tesla’s Cybertruck is scheduled to arrive late next year as well. The boxy, hand-built Bollinger is also said to go on sale next year so yeah, the GMC Hummer has some work ahead of it to beat them all to the table.
Source: General Motors