Rumored Electric Hummer May Also Be Built At Detroit-Hamtramck
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General Motors may build its rumored electric Hummer revival vehicle at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, according to a new report.
Word that GM executives were thinking of bringing the Hummer brand back with a series of electric vehicles first surfaced earlier this year, but more information has now come to light thanks to Reuters.
The publication says the alleged electric Hummer is the “centerpiece” of GM’s plan for the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which will remain open under the automaker’s proposed contract with the UAW. Previous reports indicated GM would allocate its forthcoming electric pickup truck and an electric van to the plant. Apparently, the automaker used the word “van” in an internal document as more of a catch-all term for the various electric utility vehicles and SUVs it may be planning for the site.
Referred to internally as BT1, the new GM electric-vehicle program is expected to spawn a variety of battery-powered vehicles. These will apparently include a GMC-branded pickup and a Cadillac crossover. The automaker may have a pair of electric pickups in the pipeline as well, with a Reuters‘ source saying a lower-cost electric truck will arrive in 2021 before the GMC-branded truck debuts at a later date.
The anonymous source also said that when the retooled Detroit-Hamtramck plant is up and running at full capacity in 2024, it will be building around 80,000 electric vehicles per year. GM is expecting to employ 2,225 workers at the plant, its UAW contract proposal indicated.
The new report also confirms previous rumors that GM plans on setting up a new battery cell production plant near the now-closed Lordstown Assembly plant in Ohio. The new plant will be a joint venture between GM and another, yet-to-be-named company and is expected to employ a UAW-represented workforce.
A GM spokesperson told Reuters it would not comment on speculation, but reiterated the company’s plans to build an electric pickup truck, which it first divulged earlier this year.
“GM believes in an all-electric future and we are making great progress in that area,” the spokesperson said. “We have announced that a pickup truck will be part of our future portfolio, but have no additional information to provide.”
GM plans to price its first electric vehicles on the high end of the price spectrum, likely close to $100,000, before offering lower-cost versions at a later date. This should ensure the company can profit off of the battery-electric vehicles, which are typically much more expensive to engineer and produce than a comparable gasoline or diesel vehicle.
The UAW is currently voting on the new contract proposal, which was agreed upon by GM executives and union leaders last week. Results of the ratification vote are expected to be announced on October 25th. The union elected to remain on strike throughout the voting process—keeping GM’s U.S. production lines at a standstill for the time being.
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Source: Reuters
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Hummer is making a comeback soon
To me this may not be a bad idea.
This is a way to sell an EV at a profit and revive a brand that really is still seen by many as a missed name.
Yes it appears crazy at first and I thought it was too but. #1 Hummers were seen as a premium brand. They sold for high prices, they still sell used for crazy high prices. Finally most of them never went off road.
Like tbe a Tesla S the Hummer was an image vehicle and few went to Moab or Baja. Most were seen at Newport Beach, Miami and NYC.
By bringing these Back and selling at a premium price GM will make money and help lower prices of the technology as well advanced more expensive tech till it becomes cheaper.
God knows just putting this drivetrain in a Tahoe and Charging $100k is not going to work. People want something special at that price and an HE Hummer could do that.
They do not start up Hummer again but sell this along side the GMC models at GMC dealers or Cadillac dealers. The big mistake on the old Hummer was GM making it a brand vs model. It cost much more money to handle and even more when they closed it down. You need to keep flexibility in this.
Finally this would also need to be a global model. At this price they can afford to do that.
I would love to see them add ICE at some point as a second line but I don’t see it happening. But if done as a Wrangler like vehicle sold at GMC it could bring a whole new image to Hummer even with just a 2.7 turbo in a light off road.
Your comments all make sense! I still see a ton of them on the roads of suburban Detroit. Many look like they’ve been kept in storage for years. Agree, too with the idea of selling them in a shared store.
Lets just say the Bloomberg article was co-authored by a writer that has not been the most accurate with his speculation. That is not to say a Hummer SUV will not be built; however considering it will be well north of $100k, I’m sure not too many will be built. This may be the vehicle slated for the Warren piolt plant.
BTW a van is a van and an SUV an SUV. I never heard anyone refer to a Tahoe or Suburban as a “van.”
A $100,000 Hummer is safer than a $100,000 Tesla Model S, so it will sell plenty especially in California where most electrics are sold. GM has to catch up with Ford, Tesla, and Rivian which will produce their EV trucks sooner. Ford is the leader, already showing an electric F-150 prototype that pulled a 1.2 million pound train loaded with 44 F-150 trucks (search YouTube for the video).
Since Ford is the world’s largest truck producer, and has a huge support for the F-150, this is the model that GM must beat. The other two are new to the truck market and will sell with higher prices.
The Hummer would be low volume as would any other model made. None will be big volume models. With that being said slapping a big price and a trendy Hummer styling GM will make money.
Odds are Fords going to lose money on 5heir trucks or break even at best. Only large fleet sales would save them.
As for the train gimmick don’t fall for that. It is like the Hoover sweepers picking up a bowling ball and it is a physics trick.
Once mass is in motion it is easy to Keep move. The same thing could have been done with an ICE. Jeremy Clarkson moved a 13,000 metric ton ship with a Citron C3. That is much more. Weight than Ford moved and much less vehicle.
Till EV comes down in initial cost the fleet sales will be scarce.
In order for this to work it needs Voltec phev as an option. Tesla X was put through the Ike Gauntlet, performance wise it was excellent but it barely had any range left when it made it.
Hope no one is going to buy this because it’s a waste of energy and money and time I hope people are going to buy more of ICE than electric. Their useless in range, longer for charging than refuelling, useless create more pollution on making them, and charging them, driving them, with what they put in the batteries and other toxic materials. So u guys need to be going back to school check what the difference your making so fuck you guys useless in our society. See you in hell
GM please don’t waste good money on old design, Hummer ? Upgrades on existing full size in production. Smoke and mirrors, Mary have something to do with it. Not good. That’s my opinion!
You do realize they are not going to just add EV to the old model?
To do this it will require a totally new platform that will carry the Hummer name and family styling But no old parts or design.
It also would be more likely H2 size.
More wasted money. H2 wanted to be a jeep, didn’t sell big numbers last time. Down size GM, cut the fat cats. and make GM great again, put people back to work, in America. There won’t be a bail out for Mary and corp. Just another opinion.
153,026 H2 models produced over just a few years at a price 4 times than as Wrangler was a good run.
The fact Is if the produce the Hummer EV it will play a big role in bring jobs to a plant in Detroit that was going to close.
Now if they can get a bunch image Hollywood fat cats to buy and drive this new model it will help pave the way to building a positive image and make money in a segment many lose money in.
The EV industry is a slow growth segment and making it pay for itself is key to moving forward.
An all electric future is not prudent. There are those who use there vehicles for work and spend hundreds if not thousands of miles per day in a vehicle. It would not be a rational proposition for those in construction, law enforcement, taxi service, uber, on the road sales or several other lines of work. Tell Mary to come work construction or travel eleven states for work and have to stop and recharge every 200 miles.
Bringing Hummer back as a Premium EV Off Road Brand makes so much sense. I hope GM will do this.
Hummer can go up against the upstart Rivian, upcoming Tesla Truck, and Future EV Land Rovers and Jeeps.
This is such a No Brainer that I fear GM will not pull the Trigger. An EV Hummer Brand will allow GM to make a bigger profit on EV vehicles which it can then trickle down to other Brands in the GM Family. A Pure EV Hummer Brand has the potential to basically Print Money for GM.
Having said all this, if GM does bring Hummer back it will need to be a Zero Compromise vehicle both in Off Road capabilities and in the Premium materials used inside out. Has to be High Tech and High featured.
GM should reinvent the Hummer brand, Jeep Wrangler has no competition! The H4 was ready to put into production in 2009, when GM pulled the plug on the brand. The El Camino was ready to produce in 2009 as a Pontiac, when it was axed. These vehicles are much needed and already developed, variety is king in the truck and suv industry. GM is always playing catch up, they need to offer more choices if their cars are being discontinued. Electric vehicles are just a niche, the infrastructure isn’t adequate to accomodate EVs in the near future. Get R Done General!
I agree with the wrangler Challenger. Make it a Hummer under GMC.
But for the Ute it just will not work. It would need to be sold in greater numbers than they can do just in North America. GM had planned for around 9k Holden built Pontiacs and that was even marginal and they were not going to be cheap. Figure at least GTO price or higher.
Trust me I had planned to by the G8 Ute but know once the deal fell through there just was no way to do it economically once Holden shut it down. .
Love to see an EV Hummer deep water ford and run in the soft sand.
The one thing that is never addressed in EV articles is charging stations are not going to be free forever. The Federal and State Governments are going to have to replace the lost fuel tax revenue by taxing charging stations and another area is rapid charging of the battery to compete filling a vehicle up with gasoline.