The Hummer name has been synonymous for years with rugged off-road-capable vehicles that look just as mean as the terrain they’re said to handle without breaking a sweat.
Dormant for nearly a decade, Hummers are apparently coming back in a big way, albeit with a huge twist...
Instead of a gas guzzler that emits a throaty roar whenever the throttle goes down, the latest (and supposedly greatest) Hummers to hit the consumer market in the coming years will be electric.
Yes, you read that right.
An electric Hummer.
Originally produced by AM General and then later sold under the General Motors brand, Hummers were the civilian offshoot of the military’s HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle), an extremely adaptable do-everything truck that superseded the ages-old jeep in frontline service.
With the flagship model dubbed the H1 and revamped with creature comforts including noise insulation, stereos, and plush seats, Hummer made its way into the civilian market in the early 90s in the years following Operation Desert Storm and, suffice to say, H1s were an instant hit.
However, not all good things last and the brand’s popularity declined rapidly with the advent of the H2 and H3 models — drastic departures from the original H1. Offroading and outdoors enthusiasts with a decently-sized wallet were stalwarts within Hummer’s customer base, but began leaving in droves for other brands including Toyota and Jeep.
By 2009, GM killed off Hummer’s production lines and began looking to sell the brand.
Fast forwarding to 2020 and GM’s big announcement, the chief question still remains — could the revived Hummer bring the brand back to its roots with a rugged offroader that not only puts other vehicles in its class to shame in the looks department, but also performs like an apocalypse-ready battle machine?
Chances are that might not be the case.
The new Hummer line will be revived first as a small truck, then later on an SUV, under the GMC brand which is more commonly known for luxury-level SUVs and trucks.
An all-electric powertrain could certainly produce insane amounts of torque, making short bouts of offroading potentially fun, and unforgiving terrain slightly more accessible. Range and refueling, however, would be an obvious concern.
The new Hummers won’t hit GMC dealerships before 2022, giving GM enough time to fine-tune their product and test the waters, especially with competition like Tesla’s Cybertruck, also marketed as an outdoorsy-type vehicle, making their commercial appearance just around the same time.
Ian D’Costa is a correspondent with Gear Scout whose work has been featured with We Are The Mighty, The Aviationist, and Business Insider. An avid outdoorsman, Ian is also a guns and gear enthusiast.
