General Motors to unveil Hummer EV pickup with 'crab mode' in October

Key Points

• General Motors will reveal the GMC Hummer EV – its first all-electric pickup – online on Oct. 20.
• The reveal comes a year ahead of it arriving in dealer showrooms to compete in what's expected to be the industry's newest, hotly contested segment.
• The Hummer EV pickup is expected to be the first to market with the automaker's next-generation Ultium battery system.

General Motors will reveal the GMC Hummer EV – its first all-electric pickup – in October, roughly a year ahead of it arriving in dealer showrooms to compete in what's expected to be the industry's newest, hotly contested segment.

The Hummer EV pickup will be the first vehicle to feature the automaker's next-generation Ultium battery system. It will compete against a host of electric pickups expected from Tesla, Ford Motor and several start-up companies such as Rivian.

The Hummer is expected to be among the initial group of vehicles to come to market in the unproven segment as the Detroit automakers attempt to retain leadership positions for U.S. pickup sales, which the companies have dominated for a century.

The amount of competition expected for electric pickups is not representative of the segment's sales in the coming years, according to IHS Markit. The industry research firm forecasts electric vehicle sales will only be 8%, or 1.3 million, of the U.S. market in 2025. Electric pickups are expected to be a subsection of that.

GM was supposed to unveil the Hummer EV pickup earlier this year but delayed the debut due to the coronavirus pandemic. The vehicle is now scheduled to be unveiled online on Oct. 20, the company said Monday. 

The Hummer EV pickup, GM says, will feature a "crab mode" that allows it to rotate all four wheels at once, allowing the truck to almost move diagonal. The company released a short teaser video of the feature online Monday with the announcement of the vehicle's scheduled debut in October.