GMC Hummer EV debuts with 350 miles of range, six-figure price

DETROIT — Hummer is back, and so is its six-digit price tag.

For $112,595, the 2022 GMC Hummer Edition 1 unveiled Tuesday comes with underbody armor and cameras, a removable Infinity Roof and a battery range of more than 350 miles via three electric motors. Production of the Edition 1 is scheduled to begin in late 2021, followed by production of progressively less expensive configurations from fall 2022 through spring 2024.

The off-road pickup, which General Motors will build at the Detroit plant it has renamed Factory Zero, will be the first electric vehicle in GMC's portfolio. The price of the Edition 1, which includes shipping, is about $5,000 more than the highest trim of the Cadillac Escalade ESV.

All Edition 1 models will come fully loaded and look identical, with the same white exterior and a Lunar Horizon interior that includes Edition 1 badging.

Although GM postponed the unveiling of the Hummer by five months because of the coronavirus pandemic, the production timeline has remained on track, company officials said.

"This innovative truck comes to market with speed and purpose, bringing GM another step closer to an all-electric future," GM President Mark Reuss said in a statement. "Hummer EV is perfect for the customer who wants capability, efficiency and performance."

The Hummer will compete with electric truckmaker Rivian's R1T pickup, which will cost about $70,000; the Tesla Cybertruck, which also will cost about $70,000 for its highest trim; and gasoline-powered off-road pickups from Ford and Jeep.

GMC listed three other trims it plans to release after the Edition 1: the 3X for $99,995, starting in fall 2022; the 2X for $89,995, starting in spring 2023; and the 2 for $79,995, starting in spring 2024. All prices include shipping. Customers can reserve any trim with a $100 deposit starting Tuesday night.

Standard equipment on all trims includes GM's Super Cruise driver-assist system, a six-function MultiPro Tailgate, underbody cameras, 35-inch tires and the Infinity Roof. The 3X is the lowest trim that includes the three-motor e4WD system and Watts to Freedom upgrade necessary for the performance stats GM has touted previously: 1,000 hp, 11,500 pound-feet of torque and 0-to-60-mph acceleration in three seconds.

"This is GM's chance to showcase a host of technology and features that will be the complete opposite of its Volt/ELR and Bolt offerings," Ivan Drury, Edmunds' senior manager of insights, said in a statement. "By launching a halo vehicle, GM will finally have a product that offers a glimpse of the technologies that will trickle down through its lineup, unlike its prior vehicles that were intended to highlight the building blocks of GM's EV offerings."

The Hummer will be powered by GM's proprietary Ultium batteries. It will be compatible with fast chargers, which can replenish nearly 100 miles of range in 10 minutes, GM said.

The original Hummer, later known as the H1, also had a sticker price well over $100,000 when production ended in 2006 — and many used ones sell for much more today, despite their single-digit city gas mileage.

The goal in bringing back the Hummer name on an electric pickup was to build the most capable truck in GM's history, the vehicle's chief engineer, Al Oppenheiser, said in GMC's statement. "It's an absolute off-road beast with a unique 4WD drive system that provides maneuverability unlike anything GM has ever offered before."

GMC designed the Hummer to be an off-road supertruck with unique features such as four-wheel steering in CrabWalk mode, which allows for diagonal driving on challenging terrain; steel plates around the battery pack for protection in extreme off-roading conditions; and UltraVision, which includes front and rear underbody cameras to help place wheels on and off a trail.

"The GMC Hummer EV is revolutionary, defying what the industry thinks of as a pickup truck," Duncan Aldred, vice president of global Buick and GMC, said in the statement. "The Edition 1's tailored off-road content will make Hummer EV's unprecedented capability and zero-emissions a very special proposition for customers."