General Motors has revived its long-defunct Hummer brand for an electric future. Originally inspired by the AM General HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) military vehicle, made famous in the 1990 Gulf War, Hummer became originally a byword for big, ugly, thirsty, badly-built, and rather vulgar SUVs and was killed off in GM’s bankruptcy after the 2008 financial crash.
Now, Hummer is back and it’s gone all electric. GM claims a 560km range for its big new truck, and a whopping 1,000hp. That, along with an estimated 1,300Nm of torque, means that this massive five-seat pickup can bother Ferraris and Lamborghinis away from the lights, accelerating from 0-100km/h in around three seconds.
Rather obviously, it’s designed as an off-roader, with air suspension that can raise and lower the Hummer by up to 150mm, three electric motors, and rear-wheel steering that means the whole thing can ‘crab’ sideways at low speeds.
It's even a convertible
Oh, and it’s even a convertible, with lift-out roof panels (Hummer calls it an ‘Infinity’ roof) which can be stored up front, in the ‘frunk’ (front trunk, or as we would call it the hole where the engine should be).
Being as the Hummer has to take on the challenge of the incoming Tesla Cybertruck, GM has equipped it with some automated driving systems, badged ‘Supercruise’, which can keep you between the lines on a motorway, as well as changing lane automatically for you (you still need to hold the wheel and keep an eye on what’s happening, of course).
Inside, there’s a huge 13.4-inch touchscreen and what Hummer calls ‘premium, technical materials’ — which would make a pleasant change from the cheap, nasty plastics of the old Hummer lineup.
With General Motors having pulled out of Europe entirely, it’s unlikely that the new electric Hummer will ever be sold here, but we would imagine that every limo-hire company worth its salt is already looking at importing one and stretching the bodywork…
