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GM Reintroduces Hummer As Fully Electric Truck, 1st Model Will Sell For $112,595
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General Motors is bringing back the Hummer. The military-style truck known as a gas-guzzling symbol of American excess fell out of favor and was discontinued in 2010.
But now, GM has resurrected it as an "electric supertruck" with zero emissions.
The GMC Hummer EV will have three electric motors generating 1,000 horsepower and can run 350 miles on a full charge. It can go from 0 MPH to 60 MPH in about three seconds.
The truck will have a suspension height that can be raised about 6 inches for off-road situations. Its tires can drive diagonally in a feature called "Crab Mode."
This will be GMC's first full-electric vehicle and is set to enter production in late 2021.
"The irony is not lost on anyone that this former gas-guzzler is coming back as an electric vehicle," said Ivan Drury, Edmunds' senior manager of insights. "With that said, by demonstrating that 'big' doesn't necessarily mean inefficient, the HUMMER EV also represents a monumental paradigm shift."
But it's going to be expensive.
The first model will be offered at the suggested price of $112,595, the company announced Tuesday. Still, reservations sold out within an hour, a GM spokesperson said. The company declined to reveal the number of reservations.
Three variants are expected be released in 2022, 2023 and 2024. They will come with reductions in both features and prices, ranging from $99,995 to $79,995.
Trucks are very popular in America. The top three best-selling vehicles in America are pickups, and the large truck average transaction price is just over $51,000.
And for electric trucks, the price increases, Drury said, and will "squeeze buyers' wallets on a completely new level."
This isn't the first foray into electric vehicles for GM.
In fact, the company pioneered an electric vehicle in 2001, but ultimately discontinued it, NPR's Camila Domonoske has explained. It ceased production (and pulled the electric cars off the road and crushed them) while continuing its Hummer line. But the vehicle was killed by the recession and skyrocketing gas prices.
GM introduced a more gas-efficient Hummer in 2005 with gas mileage comparable to midsize SUVs at the time. But according to a 2007 survey, 21% of car buyers said they would not consider the Hummer because of its poor gas mileage.
The Hummer EV's production timeline will put it close to Tesla's Cybertruck, which is also forecast to start production in late 2021.
Tesla's answer to an electric truck looks starkly different from traditional truck designs and has a starting price of $39,900.
GM has reservations open for the three Hummer EV variants on its website.
"There is the issue of launch timing and delivery," Drury said. "With all of these trucks launching over the next year or two, customers will have to debate whether it's worth rolling the dice and placing a reservation this far out without a test drive."
Reese Oxner is an intern on NPR's News Desk.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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