GMC Hummer EV Teaser Shows Crab Mode In Action, Debuts October 20

This electric off-roader will literally come at you sideways.

There's a new teaser video for the GMC Hummer making waves, figuratively and literally. The half-minute clip featured above just dropped today, opening with majestic waves and a pulled-back overhead shot of the EV pickup cruising down a beach. That's when things go sideways, and again, we mean figuratively and literally.

Fortunately, we won't have to separate fact from fiction for much longer. This teaser clip also came with a definitive reveal date from GMC of October 20, so we're just over a month away from the Hummer's long-delayed and much-anticipated arrival. And as you can see in the video, one of its features will be four-wheel steering that, among other things, can let the truck drive diagonally.

Gallery: GMC Hummer EV Rendering

This is officially the Crab Mode that the automaker teased just a few days ago. Details on the full capability of this option aren't yet known, but the video clearly shows the truck turning all four wheels in the same direction for diagonal movement through the sand. It's certainly not the first time we've seen four-wheel steering on vehicles, though such applications usually turn the front and rear wheels in opposite directions to decrease the turning radius. Four-wheel steering can also have benefits when towing trailers, particularly with controlling trailer sway. But the Crab Mode being teased here is...interesting to say the least.

We're assuming there's more to Crab Mode than being able to drive sideways. Among other things, cranking the wheels in opposite directions would add considerable maneuverability to what's expected to be a sizable machine. To be honest, we're struggling to see the effectiveness of the crab feature in everyday operation, save for a new way to parallel park or finding some extra grip in low-speed, loose-traction situations. The teaser also lists it as an optional feature, so not all Hummers will have this ability.

Gallery: GMC Hummer EV

Available as either a truck or SUV, the GMC Hummer will be offered with up to 1,000 horsepower in its all-electric powertrain. As for the full functionality of Crab Mode, we'll just be patient and let GMC explain it all when the big reveal takes place in October. You can follow all the action leading up to the debut right here at Motor1.com.

Source: GMC