GMC Introduces Crab Mode for Hummer, We Snicker

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

“Crab Mode” isn’t just what you’re in when you journey to Red Lobster, McCormick & Schmick’s, or Baltimore. It’s a feature of the new electric Hummer that GMC has teased. Complete with a silly logo.

Crab Mode? In a Hummer? Please excuse any typos, I am giggling too hard at all the jokes that are coming to mind. Yes, I am 13 years old inside, apparently.

Ahem.

This Crab Mode is accompanied by a logo that looks like a rejected design from the Transformers cartoons.

Here’s what Crab Mode is/what it does. Or rather, what it might be or what it might do, as GM/GMC is still being quite circumspect.

Crab Mode is, probably, as Motor1 speculates, a reference to the top-trim Hummer having three electric motors and some kind of unique motion that the electric SUV will be able to do. The author over there thinks it could be like the tech that Rivian uses to allow its truck to make a zero-radius turn. Our guess is that maybe it can “crab walk” sideways if you’re trying to maneuver your Hummer into a tight parking space or for some sort of work usage.

This is all accompanied by a logo that looks like a rejected design from the Transformers cartoons.

GMC’s tweet doesn’t shed any real light on the situation. “Real revolutionaries forge their own direction.” OK, so maybe that does mean the Hummer will move in mysterious ways?

We shall see when the Hummer is revealed this fall.Until then, I will be thinking of this and cackling, at least until my neighbors take notice and send me off with the nice people in white coats.

[Image: GMC via Twitter]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Oberkanone Oberkanone on Sep 11, 2020

    Obvious from the logo this truck is equipped with large claws.

  • Tankinbeans Tankinbeans on Sep 11, 2020

    However you get your crabs, it'll be a shocking experience.

  • Art Vandelay Art Vandelay on Sep 11, 2020

    I am curious about the history of the Hummer brand. I remember back when GM was reorganizing they had a deal to sell the brand to China but it fell through. I was curious and looked and didn't see Hummer on the list of brands that were rolled into "New GM". Is this an omission and they actually did or did they have to call up Motors Liquidation and say "no, you can keep Saturn but we'd like to buy Hummer back" I wonder how that went down if so. Anyway, bit of a roller coaster. From "Like Nothing Else" to "Not even the Chinese want that crap" to electric vehicles coming sometime in the future.

    • See 1 previous
    • Art Vandelay Art Vandelay on Sep 12, 2020

      @Vulpine So after it all shook out, which GM got the brand?

  • Schurkey Schurkey on Sep 16, 2020

    This coming from the company that's so bereft of sense 'n' reason that they have to build a step-ladder into the tailgate because they can't comprehend appropriate ride-height. GM is approaching the event horizon of the black hole that is Ford. Ford is so far gone that nothing can save it--they've screwed-up so much for so long that whether you went in and revised all the turds, or fired everyone and started fresh, you'd still wind up with turds. GM isn't there...yet. Sadly, they're getting there.

    • Vulpine Vulpine on Sep 16, 2020

      @Schurkey: Well, to be honest none of the brands understands "appropriate ride height" for pickups today. In that, GM is more of a follower than a leader. Ford made this obvious first with their silly little "wire frame" step out of the tailgate to climb into the bed while GM put the step into the corners of the bumpers. At least the new tailgate is more sturdy and functional than Ford's toy. But even RAM has done something roughly similar with its split tailgate design which in some ways is even more functional than GM's. But still, those trucks definitely don't need their load beds so high that you need a step ladder to climb in. Used to be you could comfortably sit on the tailgate (as an average-sized person) without having to climb up onto the tailgate first.

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