The Hummer is returning, as an all-electric truck

The iconic Hummer truck is making a return to the mainstream, a decade after being killed off for failing to justify its gas-guzzling, economically nonsensical costs. 

Now, just as was rumoured a couple of weeks ago, it would seem that GMC has seen fit to revive a brand that has undeniable recognisability and starpower. The Hummer is coming back, but with a sizeable twist - it's going to be electric. 

GMC has only released a few teaser videos of the truck, ahead of a full reveal in the form of a Super Bowl Ad (that'll be on February 2nd if you're not into your NFL). Previous reports suggest that the ad will star LeBron James. 

Even so, there are already a few confirmed details around the Hummer EV - principally that it'll boast 1,000 horsepower and get from nought to 60 miles per hour in three seconds flat. For what will doubtless be a pretty heavy vehicle that's impressive. It's also apparently expected to actually release in late 2021, so is still quite some way off being available. 

It's an interesting time to revive the Hummer, 10 years after it was discontinued in 2010. Despite the climate crisis, truck and SUV sales have continued to rise around the world, and it looks like we might be in the early stages of a spike in EV truck models as a result. Tesla's much commented-upon Cybertruck is the most prominent example, of course. 

With interest in electric vehicles rising alongside increasing environmental concern, there had been plenty of rumours about the Hummer being reborn as a clean, green, oversized offroad machine. Bloomberg first claimed last summer GM wanted to resurrect the Hummer brand. But, at the time, it was a long way from being any sort of confirmation. Not to mention that electric SUVs on the market were rather rare.

That said, SUV and pickup trucks are extremely popular in the US right now. And GM has said it plans to release 20 new electric vehicles across all its global markets by 2023. Perhaps it thinks a splashy Super Bowl ad is the right way to finally celebrate the rebirth of Hummer as a modern EV.

We'll know more about the electric Hummer when its ad airs this weekend, as well as on May 20th, when GMC is going to give a full introduction to the new vehicle. Until then, rewatching these teasers is all that's open to us. 

 

 

from Pocket-lint https://ift.tt/35HHmTt
via IFTTT