GM Reportedly Thinking About Electric Hummers

Demand for Hummer vehicles peaked in 2006 before being obliterated by the financial crisis and a spike in domestic fuel prices. Considering the brand’s most eco-conscious model (the H3) averaged somewhere around 14 mpg in the city, the nameplate probably survived longer than it should have. It took on defunct-status in 2010.

Having failed to sell off the brand, General Motors is still sitting on the property and rumors are stirring that it might be making a comeback… as an electric luxury marque.

Despite sounding like the mad ravings of drug-addled lunatic, GM has its reasons for considering bringing Hummer back to life. Jeep sales took off like cat with its tail on fire after the recession, with annual domestic volumes going from 231,701 units in 2009 to a whopping 973,227 in 2018. It’s doubtful that GM missed that or forgot that it had access to an easily identifiable brand with similar ties to the military and off-road adventure.

According to Bloomberg, GM sees an opportunity to compete with Jeep for high-margin ORVs that can still serve as family friendly transportation and kitted-out status symbols. Apparently the automaker’s design team has already worked over a few Hummer concepts and have likewise experimented with incorporating the defunct nameplate’s signature style on upcoming GMC vehicles.

GM President Mark Reuss was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of an e-Hummer (which sounds suggestive) somewhere down the road. “I love Hummer,” Reuss said. “I’m not sure. We’re looking at everything.”

Regardless, anything that’s being worked on in Detroit would be years away from seeing daylight — especially if it’s to be electric. GM said that the BEV3 architecture for smaller autos will take priority, with larger zero-emission vehicles to follow. Even then, it would be unlikely that the automaker would lead with Hummer on the big BEVs when there are fully functional brands already waiting in line.

Ruess indicated that Cadillac and GMC Denali would likely to be the first brand names to be graced with pure, unadulterated, big-boy battery packs. “There might be places where we go first that are not just heavy-duty work trucks but more style and capability for off-road,” he said. “There are lots of things that are very attractive.”

In all likelihood, we doubt any of this has progressed beyond someone bringing it up in a board room once or twice and then explaining that they were serious. All GM is doing is toying with the idea of reviving Hummer and its stated commitment to an “all-electric future” automatically forces the battery issue. That said, perpetually increasing fuel regulations make pursuing traditional Hummer models a nonstarter for General Motors. So, if the company does decide to start selling them again, it may be all-electric or nothing.

[Image: LeStudio/Shutterstock]