In the not so distant past, General Motors pulled the plug on the Hummer after fuel prices skyrocketed and sales plummeted between 2006-2010. However, some reports are suggesting that GM could resurrect the Hummer once again… with a plug.
As the world can’t seem to get enough of anything that looks like an SUV, it seems like the perfect time for the Hummer to make a comeback. But in the era when the Hummer existed, it wasn’t that the demand for SUVs at the time didn’t. The downfall of the Hummer at the time was that its glutton for fuel, its obesity that couldn’t allow for it to fall under the guidelines for emission control at the time. This left all the environmentalists to march down the streets in anger. With claims that seemed like the Hummer single-handedly contributed to climate change and will initiate the apocalypse. While it was extremely popular in the United States and was the go-to toy for celebrities in California and Miami, the dirty looks and remarks from onlookers shamed them enough to abandon ship and buy a Prius to try and shed the image.
It wasn’t JUST the hummer that returned woeful fuel economy, many other trucks and SUVs of the same and larger size at the time did as well. But as it was under the spotlight of Hollywood, the military-derived civilian vehicle became the target. As sales dwindled, GM was forced to pull the plugin 2010. While the other trucks remained in existence, the Hummer was rendered obsolete.
Fast forward to nearly a decade when people now drool over anything with extra plastic cladding and a brochure that mentions the abbreviation ‘SUV’ with little to no evidence to back up that claim, one would think that now is a perfect time as any for the Hummer to return. However, it would be blasphemy if it arrived in the same avatar. More importantly, it wouldn’t meet emission and crash norms of modern times.
So the Hummer would have to be completely reimaged all together. And that is exactly what GM is currently mulling – an all-electric Hummer. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors announced that the future of mobility is electrified, a Bloomberg report stated that GM President Mark Reuss who says ‘I Love Hummer’ is not convinced of its resurrection even as an EV. However, his statement neither confirms nor denies as he says “We’re looking at everything.”
Bloomberg sources claim that passing the Hummer internally may not be possible as the question ‘What if’ always creeps into the planning stage for which models GM will build with its truck battery pack. Without the electrification, the Hummer will not be able to make a case for itself in the modern era.
An electric Hummer may not be something groundbreaking as it has already been attempted before. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was the man that pushed for a civilian version of Humvee that resulted in the H1 model, tried to make an electric version of the Hummer using his very own vehicle.
GM’s competitor in the US is mostly dominated by Ford and Jeep who are enjoying massive sales of their SUVs that offer the off-road capability and blend in premium and luxury quotient as well. GM is reportedly contemplating to tap into that market. After the brand was killed off, hummer dealers were not happy. A plausible was to sell the Hummer EV should it come to life would be to have a dedicated section in the existing Cadillac or Buick network rather than create a new network for the brand itself. But, Is it likely that the Hummer could return with an electric heart? At the moment the scale tips further towards unlikely given the reputation of the name, and usually in cases with image problems, brand managers wouldn’t dare touch the sun. Another question that needs to be answered is whether the modern buyer would accept the Hummer again.
While I personally like going off-road as much as the next guy, the most popular Hummer H3 never really made a lasting impression on me. My tastes revolve more around small, nimble yet amply powerful hot hatches that are easier to live with and also have fun when desired, SUVs have never really been my cup of tea. I wouldn’t rush to get myself a Hummer, and in the modern day, despite the recent popularity of SUVs, I am certain there might be a place for the Hummer in modern times, I’m am also certain it isn’t large enough to justify the economics.
