The Hummer is back as a 1,000 hp all-electric SUV: Can it take on the Tesla Cybertruck?

General Motors, although no longer operational in India, has nonetheless, created a buzz with the unveiling of its vision for the future. And it’s a Hummer. That’s right! One of the world’s most extravagant automotive relics, has in accordance with Easter, been resurrected as an all-electric SUV, one that showcases GM’s proprietary next-gen EV technology.

A major casualty of the 2008 recession, the gas-guzzling Hummer traded hands briefly, with GM selling it to China for an undisclosed sum, but appears to have made its way back home, where it will be sold under the GMC brand. The new GMC Hummer (has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) is the first fully-electric car under the GMC brand – thus far known for its particularly thirsty roster of all-American trucks.

The Hummer’s link to GM’s EV program is closer than you might think. Back in 1999, GM acquired the Hummer brand from its original manufacturer, AM General. In doing so, GM banked on the success of mega-trucks like the military Humvee-based Hummer and it’s macho appeal (with Arnold Schwarzenegger being one of its most famous owners) and effectively killed its EV1 program to focus on the Hummer. Essentially, the Hummer was responsible for blockading the road leading to EVs.

So it’s only fitting that the Hummer EV gets them back on what once seemed like a promising path. The EV1 was a fully-functional production EV, that predated any other mass-produced EV brand in the market today. Had it been allowed to flourish, GM may have made considerable inroads in the EV program, possibly being market leaders in the space, today, instead of playing catch-up with Silicon Valley.

Of course, the new Hummer is no shrinking violet. It’s still big as a barn and is based on GM’s Ultium Drive architecture, housing home-grown batteries and will have four versions which will be launched gradually.

Set to launch next year is the top-trim Hummer. It will have an e4WD setup and will push 1,000 hp (746 Kw) which, according to the brand, will propel it from 0-100 km/h in three seconds. GMC has claimed that it will have a range of 563 km on a full charge, which sounds incredible, considering the Hummer takes up two parking slots at the local mall. This is not the blunt instrument of the past - it’s got four-wheel steering, features a “Crab walk” mode (which is exactly what it sounds like) adaptive air suspension – the works.

With America’s EV SUV market about to take off in a big way, with the arrival of the Tesla Cybertruck and the Rivian EV, it would be interesting to see just how an iconic name like the Hummer fares against truly tough competition.