[ad_1]
DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Co GM.N It said it sold out the first-year value of its massive GMC Hummer EV electric pickup truck after a video reveal Tuesday.
GMC’s website featured a “full reserves” poster for the “Edition 1” Hummer EV, which will begin production in the fall of 2021. The next version of the truck, the $ 99,995 Hummer EV 3X, is not slated for release. start production until fall 2022.
The least expensive Hummer EV, starting at $ 79,995, is scheduled to go into production in spring 2024, GM said.
The Hummer EV was designed and manufactured in 18 months, GM officials said during a presentation Wednesday. The muscular truck can “walk like a crab” sideways over rough terrain using its four-wheel steering system, and has a “Watts to Freedom” mode that accelerates the truck to 60 miles per hour (97 kph) in 3 seconds. .
The Hummer EV is in part a response to Tesla Inc. TSLA.O Cybertruck, which has a very different but equally striking design and extreme performance feature set. The Cybertruck starts at $ 39,900, although a model with 500 miles of range starts at $ 69,900.
Tesla has begun building a factory in Austin, Texas to build the Cybertruck beginning in late 2021.
GMC GMC division chief Duncan Aldred said about half of the brand’s dealers have agreed to sell the Hummer EV line. GM is taking orders on its website, and Aldred said the company’s intent is to offer no-haggle pricing. Online reservations and firm prices are similar to Tesla’s approach.
High-performance electric pickup trucks could be a crowded niche in the US market, with eight companies promising to launch models by the end of 2021.
Ford Motor Co FN It promises an electric version of its F-series truck, though Ford has said its electric truck will be aimed at customers who want to use the truck for work. GM has Chevrolet versions of its electric truck in the works.
Startups Rivian, Nikola Corp NKLA.O and Lordstown Motors are among other companies that have electric trucks in development.
Reporting by Joe White in Detroit; Edited by Matthew Lewis
