Hummer is back as GM reimagines it as a dedicated 746 kW pick-up

After a delayed unveiling at the beginning of the year due to the onset of the Coronavirus, General Motors (GM) has officially unveiled the revived Hummer as its first dedicated all-electric pick-up.

Aside from no longer being an SUV derived from the military Humvee that morphed into the original H1, the newcomer now falls under the GMC brand as opposed to being a marque of its own accord, with its official designation being the GMC Hummer EV.

Styled to incorporate certain elements from the H1 and H2 such as the sealed seven-slot grille with block HUMMER lettering, upright windscreen, roof mounted lights and squared-off tailgate reminiscent of the H3T pick-up, it also boasts thin LED headlights intertwined with the grille ports, a steel front bash plate, adaptive suspension and 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT.

Also equipped with underbody front and rear cameras dubbed UltraVision, the EV not only comes with Adaptive Ride Control dampers, an automatic opening rear window and a multi-action tailgate, but also an industry first four wheel steering system called CrabWalk similar to the concept Jeep Hurricane that bowed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit 15 years ago.

According to GM, this allows all four wheels to be steered at the same angle at low speeds in a carb-like fashion in order to not only aid diagonal movement, but “for even greater manoeuvrability on challenging terrain”. With the air suspension resulting in a 149 mm ride height rise, which GM refers to as the Extract mode, the Hummer can reportedly scale vertical obstacles of up to 457 mm and forge water crossings up to 610 mm.

The most prevalent tribute to the H1 and H2 though is the interior which boasts a similar blocky layout and design, with the steering wheel brandishing the Hummer name with EV initials in the centre. More modern though is the upright 13.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system and the all-digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster.

Unsurprisingly, the EV’s main drawing card is its powerunit which forms part of GM’s Ultium Drive platform that has additionally resulted in the body being stiff enough to accommodate an “Infinity” panoramic roof with removable transparent panels that can be stored underneath the ‘bonnet’.

Made up of three electric motors that allows for an estimated range of 563 km, the Ultium battery powered Hummer EV produces 746 kW or 1 001 horsepower and 15 592 Nm with a range of 160 km possible after using a 350 kW charging station after 10 minutes. Despite divulging no performance figures, the EV receives GM’s oddly titled Watts to Freedom mode that allows for full power and torque to be experienced for a few seconds. In this mode, the 0-60 mph (96 km/h) sprint is said to be over in three seconds.

The result of over 320 000 km of testing, the Hummer EV will go on sale next year in range-topping First Edition guise priced at $112 595 (R1 848 291) with more affordable versions packing less power debuting in 2022. For the foreseeable future though, it will remain a US market only model and therefore won’t be made with right-hand-drive.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.