2023 Hummer EV Pickup And SUV's 3X Trim Could Be A Much Needed Lifeline
GMC's Hummer EV has earned a reputation as an ode to excess but has not had quite the sales numbers that the marque had hoped for. GMC hopes that the newly-announced 3X trim for the Hummer EV Pickup and SUV will change that by introducing more variety and increasing the road-going prowess of the vehicles.
When the Hummer EV launched, there was a lot of excitement about the prospect of an off-road-capable, electric pickup truck or SUV that could drop more than a few supercars in a straight line. For 2024, GMC is updating its space-inspired pickup and SUV with the updated 3X trim in hopes to appeal to a broader market. The basic platform is mostly unchanged, but the 3X package trims things down in the name of efficiency in order to extend the range of the Hummer EV Pickup from 329 miles on the Edition 1 to 355 on the 3X trim. The Hummer EV SUV, on the other hand, also gets a range boost, this time from 298 miles on the original Edition 1 version to 314 miles.
GMC achieves this magic trick by increasing wheel efficiency and reducing drag. The motor arrangements for the Hummer EV Pickup and SUV are still exactly the same as what the Edition 1 comes equipped with. The 3X trim swaps out the 18-inch wheels lined in 35-inch off-road tires for more road-appropriate 22-inch wheels with 35-inch all-terrain tires.
Hummer's EV is struggling despite lofty ambitions
The 3X trim also removes some of the off-road specific options, like the underbody camera and some off-road protection, that are present on the Edition 1 Pickup. For those wanting to go off-road, there's the Extreme Off-Road Package, which includes additional underbody cameras, skid plates, rocker protection, and assist steps. The Extreme Off-Road Package also replaces the all-terrain tires with mud-terrain tires for superior off-road grip. These changes reduce the range of the Hummer EV Pickup back down to the 329 miles of the Edition 1 trim.
Compared to vehicles like the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Hummer EV has sold incredibly poorly, reporting only two sales for the Hummer EV Pickup in Q1 of 2023. Ford's utilitarian Lightning, on the other hand, sold 2,062 units in November 2022 alone, according to Ford's sales report [PDF].
One of the biggest challenges to GMC's Hummer EV luxury pickup is certainly price. While the Hummer EV is almost certainly far more capable than the Ford F-150 Lightning when it comes to off-road endeavors, Ford's mass-market appeal and more affordable starting MSRP of $61,869 — compared to the Hummer EV's starting MSRP of $86,645 — just make it a far more attractive prospect. GMC has not announced the pricing for the 2024 Hummer EV or announced a launch date for the 3X trim, but hopefully, when it does land, the new revisions will aid adoption.