Detroit has fallen: Hummer goes electric

Hummers have been conquering things for decades: from political regimes the US doesn’t like to the streets of Beverly Hills. Its next target? The internal combustion engine. By Jake Groves

How times have changed. Once simply a super-rugged vehicle for the US military, the Humvee became a status symbol for A-listers in the 2000s before it was killed by a massive economic recession and an equally massive recalibration of taste.

In 2020, big global demand for SUVs mixed with stringent emissions regulations has meant a major rethink at GM’s GMC division, resulting in the Hummer returning to the fold, but now near-silently.

1983 OPERATION: UTILITY VEHICLE

US military desperately needs a durable and flexible truck for military use. AM General wins the contract to build the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee) after years of design work and prototype testing.

1990 OPERATION: DESERT STORM

Not the first military deployment, but the most memorable one. Humvee’s blocky shape and intimidating presence means it’s forever burned in the brains of Kuwaiti civilians, Iraqi troops and, indeed, the world as we watched TV news bulletins.

1992 OPERATION: CIVILIAN INFILTRATION

Blame Arnie. Movie strongman Schwarzenegger sees a convoy of Humvees while filming Kindergarten Cop and lobbies AM General to stu it full of leather, wood, air-con and a sound system, thus creating the civilian Hummer. He nabs the first two and plenty more besides (including biofuel and hydrogen conversions). GM buys the name six years later.

2002 OPERATION: POP STAR

The slightly smaller (but still vast) H2 spin-o becomes a celebrity status symbol. It sells enough to become hard to ignore, and far from everyone’s impressed. Influential journalist Arianna Hu ngton says a Hummer’s thirst makes buying one akin to supporting terrorism.

2010 OPERATION: DYING LIGHT

A global recession, increasingly harsh fuel economy standards, stalled concepts like the HX (below) and a failed bid for the assets by a Chinese machinery company leads to General Motors shuttering the name for good. Or so we thought…

2020 OPERATION: NEW DAWN

New Detroit-built Hummer EV pick-up is unveiled, billed by GMC as ‘the first all-electric supertruck’, although the Tesla Cybertruck will join it on sale in the US in 2021. The top version has three e-motors, giving 1000bhp, a 350-mile range and 3.0sec 0-60mph sprint. ‘CrabWalk’ rear-steer allows the car to strafe side-to-side, underside cameras help the driver over rocky terrain, and you can lift out the roof panels. Edition 1 is a lofty $112k, with cheaper, less powerful versions coming later.