Confirmed: GM will revive Hummer for EVs, with Lebron James as celebrity spokesperson

General Motors is not talking about it, but multiple news agencies are reporting that a Superbowl ad featuring LeBron James will tout the return of the Hummer name. This time, Hummers will be a family of electric pickup trucks and SUVs.

Automotive News, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal are all tracking down the details based on confirmed inside sources.

The vehicles will be sold under the GMC nameplate. The marketing, a bit confusing, will be “Hummer by GMC.”

Reuters had reported in October that GM would build a new family of premium electric pickup trucks at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant beginning in late 2021. Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that GM is moving production forward.

GM will invest $3 billion in the plant to build electric pickups and large vehicles. Electric Sierras and Escalades could follow in 2023, according to LMC Automotive.

GM killed the Hummer brand soon after the company declared bankruptcy in 2009. The company had acquired the military-oriented Hummer brand in 1998. The Hummer was the poster child of gas guzzling in the Al Gore era.

GM plans to build four electric vehicles at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in Michigan.

We recently posted about how GM will shift its EV efforts from the Chevy Bolt compact to large premium vehicles and brands like Cadillac (and at the time, possibly Hummer).

Now with news that NBA superstar LeBron James will be featured in a Super Bowl commercial for an electric Hummer, things just got real. On February 2, 100 million people will be watching the event.

Electrek’s Take

Slam dunk for GM, Hummer, and EVs. Regardless of how many eventually sell and when, the transformation of the most notorious gas guzzler into a zero-emissions vehicle will radically change the nation’s perception of electric cars.