Manoli Katakis 
If you wanted to seek out a real-time demonstration of the “horseshoe theory,” I’d suggest you seek out some intersectional commonality between the editorialized coverage from both Breitbart and Slate, and go from there. Both represent an ideological pagoda where the most poisonous among us seek out their talking points to inappropriately bring up in professional company. And you might be thinking, what could a far-left (but not to them) and a far-right (but not to them) media outlet have in common? One answer: The GMC Hummer EV. But for different reasons.
One side disfavors the GMC Hummer EV because its viewed as a “dangerous” codpiece for the bourgeoisie that’s about as safe for everybody else as a falling asteroid. Therefore, problematic. The other views it as a woke trojan horse that seeks to upend the cornerstones of Western civilization as we know it. Therefore, problematic.
But if you ask the one in charge of the GMC brand, which sells the Hummer EV, there is no problem. In fact, the only problem is not building them and selling these six-figure machines fast enough.
“We don’t see a ‘controversy.’ You might say I’m blind to it or don’t really hear one,” said GMC Vice President Duncan Aldred in a one-on-one with MC&T. “The only thing we’re dealing with is ‘When can i get it?’ and ‘can I get it sooner?’ I’d say this the most sought after vehicle in the automotive world. Quite honestly, I think it absolutely is, and I think it’s the vehicle that everybody absolutely wants right now.”
GMC had to cut off Hummer EV reservations at 90,000. And of that, a large percentage are new to GMC, and are in areas where the brand doesn’t traditionally do strongly in. Both are huge wins for Big Red.
“We’re looking at all the data from the reservations (90,000)… of those customers, 90,000 reservations, 70 percent are new to GMC, so a huge conquest. Geographically they’re real strong in areas that aren’t our traditional strength,” said Aldred. “So, West Coast, western region in particular… to be fair it was something that we had to prove to ourselves that ‘hey, if we’re gonna succeed in EVs you’re gonna have to succeed in the west. And Hummer has done that, by far and away (the west) is the biggest reservation region. And East Coast, again not our strongest area, but (Hummer reservations) strong there. That’s really encouraging. About 40 percent of those reservations are new to any GM brand and a very high portion of them have a luxury make in the household as well.”
To compare the Hummer EV to other electric vehicles is also missing the point entirely.
“When you think about the objectives in doing something like this – getting acceptance and credibility into the EV space, winning in areas we’re not traditionally strong in, we need to bring in new people to the brand – Hummer EV has done all of those things,” Aldred continued.
Though even as demand remains rabid, fulfilling deliveries is another story. As of December 31, 2022, GMC has tallied just 854 Hummer EV deliveries, all of them Edition 1 pickups. Hummer SUV Edition 1 deliveries are expected to start this week. All Hummer EV models are built at the GM Factory Zero facility in Michigan, formally known as the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant.
“We’re still learning on the delivery journey, if we’re honest, but I’m really confident in the stickiness of the reservations. Many of them are two years old, and we’ve lost only five percent over the whole journey.”
Aldred mentioned that he was expecting a 25 percent loss.
“We really created something that’s part of popular culture. It’s really got the cool factor. It’s really about building this as an icon… looking at the celebrities that bought one or reserved one I think just proves that out.”
As it stands, the GMC Hummer EV SUT Edition 1 (the pickup truck) starts at about $120,000 USD. That’s the one with 1,000 horsepower. The 830 hp The Hummer EV SUV Edition 1 begins at $104,000 USD.
Further GMC Hummer EV Reading:
GMC HUMMER EV SHOWS OFF ITS TRUE POWERS AGAINST A FORD RAPTOR R, RAM TRX
SOFLO HAS FULFILLED OUR ARMY GREEN HUMMER EV TRUCK FANTASIES
A SMALLER HUMMER EV COULD BE ON THE WAY
PLANT UPDATES WILL HAVE GENERAL MOTORS PAUSING GMC HUMMER EV PRODUCTION
DLC CONTENT: GMC HUMMER EV NOW OFFERING EXTRACT MODE THROUGH OTA UPDATE
