Hummer – All about car

American automotive giant General Motors (GM) is considering a revival of the Hummer brand for a new line of premium electric SUVs and pick-up trucks, according to Reuters. The company is reportedly aiming to put a new range of large luxury EVs, codenamed BT1, into production at its Detroit-Hammtramck factory by the end of 2021. The first BT1 model, currently known as Project O, is said to be a pick-up for an as-yet-undetermined brand, with internal sources suggesting use of the Hummer name is “under consideration”. It will be followed by a hardcore performance version in 2022. Claimed to also be in development are an electric pick-up for GMC and an electric SUV for Cadillac. Both are set to arrive in 2023. GM is investing $7.7 billion (£5.9bn) into preparing its US factories for the shift to electrification over the next four years, with the Detroit-Hammtramck facility being upgraded at a cost of $3bn (£2.3bn) to produce electric trucks and vans. The large EVs will sit stop a new skateboard-style chassis, similar to that of start-up company Rivian, which combines motors and batteries for cheaper production costs. Around 80,000 units per year are expected to be produced. Regarding GM’s choice to develop premium EVs before more affordable models, Auto Forecast Solutions’ Sam Fiorani told Reuters: “It makes perfect sense to hit the high end of the market in order to generate some revenue that might actually turn a profit.” Such a move, he noted, has proved lucrative for Tesla, which launched with the low-volume Roadster before going on to rival BMW and Mercedes-Benz with the Model S. GM recently ended production of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, citing a decline in demand for saloon models. Its replacement, the Bolt, is an electric hatchback that’s expected to cost its maker between $8000-$9000 per unit as a result of the augmented cost of EV production compared to that of conventionally powered cars. Production of the iconic Hummer H2 and smaller H3 ended in 2009, as GM eyed a return to profit following a high-profile bankruptcy announcement. The BT1 electric pick-up is likely to be priced to compete with the Rivian RS1 and could beat Tesla’s long-awaited truck to
Origin: General Motors could revive Hummer as electric SUV brand

2006 HUMMER H3General Motors A zero-emission Hummer sounds as paradoxical as non-alcoholic whiskey, but General Motors is mulling over the idea of building an electric vehicle that would bring the defunct gas-guzzling brand back to life. For now, it’s just an idea GM is considering as it plans which vehicles will be included in a fleet of electrified SUVs and trucks, say people familiar with the matter. The Hummer name has surfaced as way to tap growing demand for rugged SUVs with off-road capabilities, while avoiding the gasoline-burning image that made the brand something of a pariah a decade ago, said the people, who asked not to be named because the conversations are private. Electric Hummer chatter comes as GM is looking to transform itself from a conventional, gas-powered-vehicle maker into what Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra calls an “all-electric future.” Hummer is one of many options GM is exploring as it races to develop the next generation of battery-powered vehicles. Several other car companies also are rushing to produce commercially viable electric-powered models. When asked about it, GM President Mark Reuss was unconvinced. “I love Hummer,” Reuss said on the sidelines of a press conference on June 12. “I’m not sure. We’re looking at everything.” GM is currently working on two major battery-electric vehicle programs. The first is its BEV3 project, which will develop passenger cars, crossover SUVs and a variety of other small and mid-sized models. That’s part of the automaker’s pledge to put 20 EVs on the road globally by 2023. The second program would make electric pickups and other full-size vehicles, some of which can go off-road. In its family of brands, GM has large SUVs – such as the Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade – as well as hulking GMC vehicles including the Sierra truck and Yukon SUV. GMC also has Denali-labeled models that denote luxury and an AT4 brand for off-road capable trucks. Any of those potentially could be offered with electric powertrains, Reuss said. “It’s massive. 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.” GM kept Hummer after its 2009 bankruptcy but halted sales in 2010. Back then, the 10-miles-per-gallon Hummer H2 made the brand a symbol of automaker indifference to global warming. The vehicle was so heavy its weight placed it beyond the reach of federal government rules for fuel-economy tests, further enraging environmentalists. Even if GM goes through with a plan to make an electric Hummer, it would be years away. GM’s planned electric-truck project is well underway, but those models aren’t expected to launch until after the debut of the BEV3 architecture for smaller vehicles. Cadillac or one of the higher-volume brands would probably get some of the first models on the larger electric-truck-based platform. Whatever happens, GM won’t be the first to think of an electric Hummer. Schwarzenegger worked with Kriesel Electric to put a battery and EV motor in his own H1 two years ago—pioneering a zero-emission version of a vehicle that once went by the tagline “Like Nothing
Origin: GM is thinking about building an electric Hummer