GENERAL MOTORS is planning to bring back its Hummer nameplate and turn the tables on its past reputation as a gas-guzzling SUV brand.
The Hummer name is reportedly coming back in 2022 and will be applied to a range of electric pick-up trucks to be sold under the GMC brand.
EV trucks are becoming big news in the US, with the likes of the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T and even the iconic Ford F-Series making headlines as they approach series production.
As part of its bankruptcy proceeding in 2009, General Motors announced it would discontinue manufacturing the H2 and H3 models and would sell its troubled Hummer brand to a Chinese manufacturer. But the deal fell through following Chinese government intervention and the brand has been lying idle ever since.
Fast forward a decade and GM will resurrect the nameplate for its EV trucks, in a move that could bring some perceived ruggedness to the yet-to-be-seen electric vehicles.
GMC currently offers a range of three pick-up trucks, including the mid-size Canyon, the 1500-size Sierra and Sierra Denali, and the 2500-size Sierra HD. The GMC Canyon is related to the Chevrolet Colorado in its underpinnings, while the Sierra models share their platforms with the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2500 variants.
It remains unknown as to which GMC models will get the EV treatment and Hummer badge, but you would expect the popular Denali/1500-sized pick-up would be obvious starters, followed by the mid-size Canyon. Or could the Hummer name be applied to a bespoke line of vehicles?
Late in 2019 General Motor announced a US$ 1.5billion investment in its Wentzville, Missouri, plant to “bring its next generation of midsize pick-up trucks to market”.
The Wentzville plant has produced the GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado twins since the brand re-introduced its mid-size trucks in 2017, to compete with the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger.
Unlike the Hummer H1 which was a civilianised version of the HMMWV military vehicle made by AM General, the H2 and H3 SUVs were based on GM’s 1500 and Colorado mid-size pick-up platforms respectively and included the H3T Colorado-based pick-up (pictured).
There is no official word yet on what form the GMC Hummer EVs will take as they are not expected to be revealed until 2021. Nor is there any word on whether the Hummer brand will make it back to our shores as an EV.
