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Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by eagsalazar2 on Thursday October 22, 2020 @11:25AM (#24859023)
I agree with everything you've said but it makes me wonder, who is buying these things? I remember seeing an H2 (in 2005 or so) with a custom license plate that proudly read "5mpg" which sums up the ethos IMO and still angers me to this day. I think a lot of people, like me, feel like the Hummer brand is poisonously associated with many things we don't believe in to the point where I would never consider buying one.

On the other hand, I can't imagine their prev base of the flamboyantly anti-liberal is going to be excited about an EV either. So are all their new buyers those sheepish in-the-middle people who don't care that much about the gross brand and always wanted to buy a Hummer themselves but were too embarrassed?? Seems like an odd niche to focus on.

Anyway I'm confused about the marketability of this product unless they openly disavow and almost apologize for their previously brazen/gas guzzling/tree-hating positioning. That they've sold out the first year means nothing without knowing the volumes involved. My gut tells me this isn't actually going to be a big seller and unlike you I don't imagine their intentions are laudable. More likely this is a callous and misguided resurrection of a dead and vile brand and they aren't even thinking about that history and their culpability in perpetuating the associated culture.

Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by sl1ck731 on Thursday October 22, 2020 @11:34AM (#24859113)
I think your oversimplifying the appeal of a Hummer to only be had by some stereotype you have. I would purchase one of these as I have always liked the way the Hummer looks. I don't care for its association with the military or anything else. I'm not "flamboyantly liberal" and pretty center on a lot of things. It is just a nice looking car, simple as that. I also find the Tesla truck appealing as a homeowner I need something with ample cargo area to get various things for my home. It isn't that its electric that draws me, it wouldn't be that it was an ICE that would draw me either. Its just nice looking and featureful.
Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by techsupporter on Thursday October 22, 2020 @12:33PM (#24859880)
> as a homeowner I need something with ample cargo area to get various things for my home

This might be off-topic and I don't mean to come across as confrontational, I would like to ask: I've read this as a reason to own a truck many times and, assuming you don't have something like a farm, I'm very interested to know what it is you're hauling on the regular?

I've owned property three times in my life, twice in Texas (where there's no shortage of trucks) and have never owned a truck. All three properties have been single-family detached structures with yards, once with a pool, the works. The few times I needed to bring something home my regular sedan couldn't handle, I rented a truck for a couple of hours or a day.

Full disclosure: I loathed driving the things, too. Pedestrians were virtually impossible to see, a staggering number of blind spots, felt like it took an entire county to bring the thing to a stop, and one refueling of the rental was about what I spent on a month of gas for my usual vehicle.

Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by sl1ck731 on Thursday October 22, 2020 @09:34PM (#24865205)
Lumber and building materials for remodeling like my bathroom (shower and closet doors stuff like that), topsoil and grass seed/sod for redoing my yard. 2000lbs of lava rock most recently. A new water heater when mine went out. Taking loads to the town dump during spring cleaning. There is always something here to do. Not to mention the times I've been in the store looking at a new TV, lawn mower or anything else that I would like to take home immediately (I realize that delivery exists but the convenience is what a truck provides). I've also had times where I've gone to pick such things up and the local truck rentals were out which is super frustrating.

I also don't currently own a truck, but a small sedan so all of these recent things I had to wait/pay for delivery, borrow a truck, or depend on rentals so I'm familiar with "truckless" lifestyle and can say I would prefer at the least a beater truck for these tasks, at which point trading my current car would come out equal to a standard truck in that scenario.

Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by InitialLastName on Thursday October 22, 2020 @04:24PM (#24862890)
I'm with you on this, but I do find that the inertia of having to rent a truck discourages me from operating my abode optimally.

For example, I've been looking at appliances, and occasionally see nice appliances on sale on craigslist or the like... these would be dead simple to pick up if I had a truck, but I'm a small car kind of person.

Similarly, I've been putting off a Home Depot trip to buy lumber for a project because I would need to get the plywood cut down pretty small to fit in my car, and I can't be bothered to rent a truck.

Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by KozmoNau7 on Thursday October 22, 2020 @05:11PM (#24863346)
> "For example, I've been looking at appliances, and occasionally see nice appliances on sale on craigslist or the like... these would be dead simple to pick up if I had a truck, but I'm a small car kind of person."

A good way to solve this issue is a small car with a trailer. Even the smallest trailers available here (750kg gross weight) are plenty to haul home any appliance or piece of furniture.

And the trailer doesn't impact your fuel budget when you're not using it.

Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by InitialLastName on Friday October 23, 2020 @01:36PM (#24871873)
I'd never considered that, so thanks. Looking into that now (have to put a hitch on my car first).

More important for city living, the trailer doesn't make the vehicle fundamentally more difficult to parallel park in a tight spot.

Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by 205guy on Thursday October 22, 2020 @05:54PM (#24863718)
Yup, I have seen on forums that you can even hook a trailer up to a Nissan Leaf. That would get you light and local towing (no big loads, no big hills).
Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by MrMan on Friday October 23, 2020 @10:33AM (#24869899)
no one really needs a truck. even construction workers don't really need a truck, or at least not more than one per job site, as the supply company will deliver what you need. for some reason of identity people in the US like trucks. I think we enjoy feeling capable and strong, and hatchbacks for some reason make us feel weak. I drive a hatchback now and people ask me a lot of questions about it, mildly incredulous that I am willing to take the image hit.
Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by Cshelton on Thursday October 22, 2020 @11:37AM (#24859162)
As a kid, I really wanted a Hummer H1, and then H2, no regards towards their fuel inefficiency or the environment. I think they still are amazing. I think some people have put batteries and an electric drive train in H1's. (Arnold owns one I think?) I think you are off about the Hummer fan base. Many just want a good sized, rugged vehicle that can go into the mountains of Colorado without a worry. Yes, the "5mpg lulz" guys are out there, I agree with that. Even when I could afford an H2, I then knew about things like the environment and how owning one looks. So I didn't.

This EV Hummer looks awesome. I think their timeline to delivering is VERY optimistic and their tech will lag behind Tesla in every single way. I have a deposit on a Tesla Cybertruck and will be keeping that.

Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by m4eta on Thursday October 22, 2020 @11:33AM (#24859108)
You underestimate the middle. The world isn't defined by the stereotypes we interrupt it by and this isn't any different. My friends sort of fall in this group. Imagine jock but not quite smart enough to be a nerd. Disposable incomes because we refused to grow up. They're going to wake up and be pissed when they see its already sold out.
Re:GM sells out first year of electric Hummer production by playingchanges on Thursday October 22, 2020 @11:31AM (#24859079)
Seems like a direct play at targeting anyone ostentatious enough to buy a Cybertruck to me