Photo: GM via Instagram
The public has very well received the GMC Hummer EV, and it's safe to assume the electric pickup's exterior design played a big role in this favorable reception. But does that mean GM couldn't have done better?
Well, a set of sketches released by the automotive giant on one of its Instagram accounts shows one other direction the design team was exploring, and it's miles away from the one that was shown to the public.
In the end, it looks as though GM decided to play it relatively safe. After all, the company was making an all-electric version for a vehicle that used to be the symbol of gas guzzlers, so there was plenty of boldness in that move alone to justify a bit of precaution as far as design was concerned.
That's not to say the 2022 GMC Hummer EV we will get is boring or unimaginative - quite the contrary. What we do mean is the carmaker decided to go down a more easily recognizable path, giving the vehicle a new look while also making sure it was still very much a Hummer.
The version shown in these sketches has a much more radical, even futuristic look. It has "concept" written all over it because a lot of its features are simply not practical enough to make it into the real world. Take, for instance, its wheel arches: for a vehicle that's supposed to spend a lot of time off-road where it might come across mud, they offer no protection whatsoever. Those huge tires would sling the brown stuff all over the place. They may look cool now, but the entire vehicle would turn into an earth golem after just a short incursion off the pavement on a rainy day.
On the other hand, slap the specs of the 2022 GMC Hummer EV on any pickup truck, and it's hard to imagine it would make it anything other than a success. According to GM, the electrified reboot will get more than 350 miles (563 km) of range, 1,000 horsepower from its range-topping three-motor setup, and a zero to 60 mph sprint in three seconds. In addition, it will be able to boost its ground clearance to 16 inches (over 400 mm) whenever the situation requires it. What that means is that for $112,595 you'll be getting three vehicles condensed into one, which is actually not a bad deal.
In the end, it looks as though GM decided to play it relatively safe. After all, the company was making an all-electric version for a vehicle that used to be the symbol of gas guzzlers, so there was plenty of boldness in that move alone to justify a bit of precaution as far as design was concerned.
That's not to say the 2022 GMC Hummer EV we will get is boring or unimaginative - quite the contrary. What we do mean is the carmaker decided to go down a more easily recognizable path, giving the vehicle a new look while also making sure it was still very much a Hummer.
The version shown in these sketches has a much more radical, even futuristic look. It has "concept" written all over it because a lot of its features are simply not practical enough to make it into the real world. Take, for instance, its wheel arches: for a vehicle that's supposed to spend a lot of time off-road where it might come across mud, they offer no protection whatsoever. Those huge tires would sling the brown stuff all over the place. They may look cool now, but the entire vehicle would turn into an earth golem after just a short incursion off the pavement on a rainy day.
On the other hand, slap the specs of the 2022 GMC Hummer EV on any pickup truck, and it's hard to imagine it would make it anything other than a success. According to GM, the electrified reboot will get more than 350 miles (563 km) of range, 1,000 horsepower from its range-topping three-motor setup, and a zero to 60 mph sprint in three seconds. In addition, it will be able to boost its ground clearance to 16 inches (over 400 mm) whenever the situation requires it. What that means is that for $112,595 you'll be getting three vehicles condensed into one, which is actually not a bad deal.
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