GM to revive Hummer as EV super-truck brand

AFTER weeks of frenzied speculation, General Motors has confirmed that Hummer will be resurrected as all-electric super-truck brand under its GMC division – and the reborn off-roaders with a military heritage and now gobsmacking zero-emissions performance could be headed Down Under.

Holden has declined to comment on whether the Australian outpost is now working on the case to bring Hummer back to these parts after spending the past decade at ground zero.

However, the first all-new Hummer EV – which enters production next year – looks to be a strong candidate as the embattled Holden brand aims to turn around its fortunes as an exclusively SUV and light-commercial vehicle brand with a smattering of GM drawcards such as the forthcoming Chevrolet Corvette.

GM has bold plans for the reimagined off-road icon, claiming its all-new electric monster truck will produce up to 746kW (1000hp) of power and an astounding 15,592Nm of torque, which will catapult it from 0-97km/h (60mph) in just three seconds.

These opening credentials of the Hummer EV truck – which is billed as a showcase for the GMC brand’s “design and engineering potential” – will, if they all translate directly to production, make it the most powerful and potent vehicle ever produced by The General, including every hot Corvette (C8 included).

Confirming that the vehicle will be previewed in a 30-second TV spot at this weekend’s American NFL Super Bowl, ahead of a full unveiling in May, global GMC (and Buick) vice-president Duncan Aldred said the new Hummer EV would take the capability of GM’s EVs to a whole new stratosphere.

“GMC builds premium and capable trucks and SUVs and the GMC Hummer EV takes this to new heights,” he said.

“We are excited to debut our revolutionary zero-emissions truck during the biggest night in TV advertising.”

In the lead up to the Super Bowl, GMC has released a series of 15-second videos surrounding the new Hummer EV’s power and acceleration figures in an effort to emphasise the quietness – or silence, according to the videos – by muting would-be loud activities and environments.

The announcement of the Hummer EV comes just days after GM announced a $US2.2 billion ($A3.25b) investment into its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, where the new Hummer will be built alongside other forthcoming EVs.

The Hummer nameplate disappeared from our shores and indeed the world back in 2010 when a deal between GM, which was looking to “divest” itself from the brand, and China-based Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co Ltd, fell through.

The American auto giant wanted to focus on developing Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac, and was subsequently forced to dismantle the Hummer operations at the cost of some 3000 jobs.

According to GMC, the Hummer EV will be ready for delivery in “fall 2021” (our spring).