General Motors has started production of the much-anticipated 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV at the brand’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, better known as Factory Zero, with the car bearing the VIN 001 going for $500,000 at an auction organized by Barrett-Jackson.
The Detroit News writes that GMC began assembling the first units of the Hummer EV SUV on January 30 and that customers will start to receive their reserved vehicles at the end of the first quarter, according to the American carmaker.
The all-electric SUV is built alongside the pickup variant of the Hummer at the same factory where the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, which sit on the same Ultium platform as the Hummer, will be made.
Gallery: 2024 GMC Hummer SUV
GMC and Buick Global Vice President Duncan Aldred said during a business roundtable that a considerable ramp-up in production is scheduled for the second half of 2023 but stopped short of offering specific on-sale dates or planned production numbers. The American truck maker previously said it received over 90,000 reservations for both the pickup and SUV variants of the Hummer EV, with Duncan Aldred adding that approximately 50 to 60 percent were for the pickup.
"This is just, I think, the most sought-after vehicle in the world right now," Aldred said. "It really is a super truck as we positioned it."
GMC kicked off production of the Hummer EV pickup in late 2021 and delivered just over 850 units through 2022, with the assembly lines being shut down for several weeks last year to prepare for the Silverado EV.
The 2024 Hummer EV Edition 1 SUV has three electric motors that provide all-wheel drive and up to 830 horsepower, allowing the all-electric vehicle to accelerate to sixty in around 3.5 seconds. The SUV is 9 inches shorter than the pickup truck and carries over the cool CrabWalk feature that makes the car drive diagonally, as well as the ability to DC fast charge at 800 volts and up to 300 kilowatts.
The first production Hummer EV SUV was sold at an auction, raising $500,000 that will go to Tread Lightly!, a non-profit dedicated to promoting outdoor recreation through stewardship and educational programs. The NGO will use the funds from the Hummer sale to support trail restoration projects and to promote outdoor ethics.
