According to a report to Automotive News by people familiar with the matter, General Motors is considering adding a mid-size electric pickup to the lineup of its GMC sub-brand Hummer. This could satisfy demand for lower-emission cars while preparing Hummer for a comeback in Europe. The current Hummer is simply too big for local conditions.
The Smaller Hummer Is Still in the Concept Phase
According to the source, an initial concept of the small electric Hummer has been created at General Motors' California design studio, but no decision has yet been made about series production. However, the chances it will go into production are good, and the project is being prioritized, they said. So far, GMC builds the large electric Hummer EV pickup and will start building the slightly shorter SUV on the same basis early next year.
At 216.8 inches (5,507 millimeters) long and 86.7 inches (2,202 mm) wide, the Hummer EV pickup is a true behemoth, and it comes with an enormous weight of over 9,000 pounds (more than 4,000 kilograms). So, there is definitely room for a smaller model here, especially for the European market. There, Hummer could make an all-electric comeback together with Cadillac in the middle of the decade.
The GMC Hummer EV Is the Starting Point for GM's Electric Offensive
The GMC Hummer EV launched an electric product offensive at General Motors on an unprecedented scale. The company has said it will spend $35 billion to build 30 new electric vehicles on its new Ultium platform by 2025. In doing so, General Motors is driving a strategy of entering the market by targeting high-end customers with the expensive Hummer and Cadillac electric vehicles, and then expanding down the line with lower-priced models for fleet buyers as well. This will allow the automaker to increase both sales volume and production size. That's exactly how it's now proceeding with the small Hummer pickup.
When asked, Mikhael Farah, a spokesman for the GM truck division that sells Hummer, declined to comment. Production of the large Hummer EV pickup, on the other hand, has been slow to start due to difficulties with battery production. It will take some time to fill the more than 90,000 pre-orders at a price of at least $110,000. In addition, production of the SUV variant is scheduled to start at the beginning of next year.