We have periodically reported on the rumours to the effect that the Hummer name could be on the way back within the General Motors (GM) orbit, but this time to designate a new all-electric pickup truck.
This past Friday the rumours gave way to confirmed fact. The Wall Street Journal quoted an anonymous internal source at GM that the Hummer name is in fact returning, and that it will in fact be affixed to the back of an electric pickup.
And this explains the reference to Hummer as a name and not Hummer the brand here. The distinction matters. Ironically, GM’s original plan for the Hummer name was to integrate within the GMC brand.
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The return of the name will be made official in ads airing during the upcoming Super Bowl broadcast at the beginning of February. The ads will feature NBA star LeBron James.
That ad represents just the first step for GM in the field of electric mobility. The company has already committed to investing $3 billion in the Detroit-Hamtramck plant to produce electric-powered pickups, vans and SUVs. We also know that Chevrolet is working on an electric version of its Silverado and that Cadillac is developing an electric SUV.
The new model from GMC, which the Wall Street Journal reports should be a small off-road-focused SUV, should in theory debut in 2022, though we’ll know more about that in the coming months. Beyond the Super Bowl, further details could be forthcoming at the next Chicago, New York or Detroit auto shows.