GMC to keep Hummer EV customers engaged as SUV sales begin

SAN FRANCISCO — General Motors said it has enough reservations for the GMC Hummer EV SUV and pickup to exhaust its production capacity through next year.

And demand continues to grow, even after the automaker stopped taking reservations. GMC said about 200,000 people have expressed interest by signing up for email updates about the Hummer, including notifications of future reservation openings — on top of the 90,000 reservation holders already in line for the SUV or pickup. The brand will continue to stoke interest through exclusive in-person events while consumers wait for their chance to buy an electric Hummer.

Efforts to keep customers engaged will get a boost as more Hummer EVs show up on the road. Production of the SUV began in January at GM's Factory Zero plant in Detroit, while deliveries of the pickup began late in 2021.

"We had to pause those reservations because they're coming in so quickly that we simply couldn't keep up with them on a production level," Duncan Aldred, vice president of global Buick and GMC, said at a media drive for the 2024 Hummer EV SUV this month in Northern California. "That will take us well through this year. It'll take us through next year, as well, and that's just a huge amount of demand that we've got for what is a unique and pretty exceptional vehicle in the Hummer."

Sales of the Edition 1 version of the Hummer pickup — which stickers at more than $110,000 — got a slow start. GMC logged 855 of them at the end of 2022, though Aldred has said the automaker planned for low volumes last year and will scale up production throughout 2023.

The Edition 1 SUV starts at $105,595 including shipping for an on-road version and tops $110,000 for an off-road version. Additional trims will begin arriving in the fall, GMC said.

Of the combined 90,000 reservations for the Hummer SUV and pickup, GMC said about three-quarters are new to the brand and about 40 percent are new to GM.

The West Coast historically has not been GMC's strongest sales region, but "it is our strongest on Hummer EV by a long way," Aldred said, adding that the brand has seen a lot of interest on the East Coast as well.

"It's actually very strong in areas that are not our traditional strongholds, so again, that's really good for us, for the brand," he said.

Reservations are split, with half in favor of the pickup and half wanting the SUV, Aldred said. But GMC expects the Hummer mix eventually to favor the SUV, possibly by 2026, as production availability increases.

"I think at that point, you probably are going to see a leaning toward the SUV, just because it's got more of that broad appeal," he said, noting its 9-inch-shorter wheelbase. "It does look more manageable. It is more manageable from a size point of view. I don't think that anyone's going to say small, but it's definitely smaller."

Rich Latek, marketing director for GMC, said the brand will continue to communicate through social media channels and email with reservation holders and hand raisers, while also holding regional events to allow reservation holders an opportunity to experience the Hummer in person. The next such event is in May in Miami, he said.

Getting vehicles on the road — and in showrooms — will continue to increase awareness, Latek said.

"Our dealers play a critical role," he said. "They're on the front lines for us."

Dealer Tony Young, who sells GM brands in Owosso, Mich., said he is awaiting the first customer deliveries at his store about 90 miles northwest of Detroit. He said getting Hummers on the road is the best thing that can happen from a marketing perspective.

"We've seen commercials for too long," Young said. "You want to, at some point, have it come to life. And so the more you can see around, the more you see drive by ... the better it is for everybody. That's why we just can't wait to get some in driveways."