This story has been updated with new information.
It’s been the worst-kept secret in Detroit but now, General Motors is not only confirming the debut of the Hummer pickup during the upcoming Super Bowl but filling in some key details. And the numbers are likely to have you reading the next paragraph twice.
The Hummer name is coming back to life after a decade’s absence, albeit this time as the name of a GMC truck. And in an industry that likes big numbers when it comes to pickups, the Hummer is clearly coming through, its electric motors – one on each wheel, TheDetroitBureau.com has learned – churning out a combined 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 pound-feet of torque. Yes, we have confirmed the numbers, along with the pickup’s promised 0-60 times of 3 seconds flat.
“GMC builds premium and capable trucks and SUVs and the GMC Hummer EV takes this to new heights,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick and GMC. “We are excited to debut our revolutionary zero-emissions truck during the biggest night in TV advertising.”
(GM’s next-gen EVs will be able to charge as fast as you can fill your gas tank.)
The Hummer will make its official public debut in a 30-second commercial set to air during the second quarter of the Super Bowl, giving it one powerful introduction considering the audience that will reach. And, to add to all the impressive numbers we’ve already quoted, consider that half-minute spots in this year’s big game are running as much as $5 million, according to advertising industry reports.
You’ll have to wait for the game to see the commercial. But GMC released a handful of teaser videos, and we’ve also captured some of the images.
What they illustrate is not just the raw power that electric motors can deliver – punching out peak torque the moment they start spinning — but the contrasting side, those motors operating virtually silently. True, some pickup users might miss the raw grunt of a V-8, but if the Hummer lives up to expectations it would also deliver the sort of smooth and refined ride you can’t achieve in today’s trucks.
And that could play well for many of those who buy pickups today. While there’s still a substantial base of shoppers who need their vehicles for work, there’s also a major market among those who simply like the bad-ass appearance and flexibility a truck can offer, especially if they’re going to occasionally haul something like a boat or RV.
With 11,500 lb-ft of torque, that’s clearly not going to be a problem – though one detail wasn’t included in the advance release GMC sent TheDetroitBureau.com: range. Based on comments
a number of General Motors execs have made in recent days, however, we’d be shocked if the truck wasn’t aimed at delivering at least 300 miles in the EPA test cycle. And, considering what we’ve heard about some of the other electric pickups coming to market, it would be only marginally surprising if the target pushed closer to 400 miles.
After all, towing a large trailer would substantially cut into range in real-world applications, so the higher the figure on the EPA chart the more useful an electric pickup will be in day-to-day applications.
(GM transforming Poletown plant in primary EV production site)
What we know is that there will soon be quite a few of them on the market. Tesla, of course, has generated massive amounts of press for its upcoming Cybertruck – along with advance reservations claimed to exceed 250,000. Ford has its own all-electric pickup in the works. So do a number of start-ups, including Ford partner Rivian and Detroit-based Bollinger. All told, there could be as many as seven, perhaps even nine, all-electric pickups on the market by mid-decade.
As for the GMC Hummer, it will make its actual sheet metal debut on May 20, the automaker says, though no details were announced.
The truck will become the first model to go into production at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant, meanwhile. Earlier this week, GM officials confirmed the factory will undergo a $2.2 billion makeover that will allow it to produce an assortment of EVs. That will include a number of SUVs, and likely more than one pickup model. A Chevrolet seems a strong possibility.
(EV’s less expensive than you think, AAA says)
After the Hummer, the “D-Ham plant” will begin rolling out the Cruise Origin. That’s the driverless shuttle vehicle unveiled earlier this month by Cruise LLC, GM’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary. Origin will be used in Cruise’s planned ride-sharing service, starting out in San Francisco but then likely to expand to a number of other U.S. cities.
GM has announced plans to roll out at least 20 different battery-electric vehicles by 2023. Even before the Hummer debuts it will begin production of a new Cadillac SUV at its other electric car plant in Orion Township, Michigan later this year.
The Caddy model will be the first to use GM’s BEV3 platform. As TheDetroitBureau.com reported exclusively this week, that third-generation battery-electric vehicle architecture is expected to deliver a number of pluses.
For one thing, it will have 800-volt capacity, double what most BEVs currently can handle. Among the goals behind that is to enable quick-charging in as little as 10 minutes, or not much more than what a customer would spend filling an empty gas tank. The automaker plans to phase that in as it gets real-world data on battery pack performance.
(Tesla hits production record but delivers small loss for Q4 2019.)
Here are links to some videos teasing what you can expect from the upcoming GMC Hummer.
“I’ll see your Cybertruck and raise you a Hummer.”