The GMC Hummer EV Pickup and SUV are two of the largest and heaviest retail-focused vehicles on the road today, but the brand could’ve taken a very different direction a decade ago.
Hummer was famously discontinued in 2010 in the wake of GM’s bankruptcy and a temporary decline in the popularity of big, gas-guzzling trucks caused by the recession and fuel price uncertainty.
After several unsuccessful attempts to sell the Hummer name and its intellectual property to another automaker, GM ended up just putting it away for a rainy day.
One very interesting thing that got put into storage was the Hummer HX concept that was unveiled at the 2008 North American International Auto Show as a potential rival to the Jeep Wrangler.
The compact two-door 4×4 featured a scaled-down and modernized take on Hummer’s signature styling and was powered by a flex-fuel, “biofuel friendly” 3.6-liter V6 pitched as something of a green solution for off-roaders
It was pretty much a sure bet to make production if things hadn’t turned south for GM, but ended up parked in the garage instead.
The concept vehicle still exits and was even spotted outside at GM’s Milford Proving Ground in 2020 during the development of the Hummer EV.
Alas, GMC is still struggling to ramp up production of the full-size Hummer EVs to satisfy the tens of thousands of reservations it has for them, and there’s been no confirmation that a smaller model might join the lineup anytime soon. But there is a way to buy a new HX today … sort of.
Custom truck company US Specialty Vehicles sells a model called the Rhino XT that bears more than a striking resemblance to the HX. It’s such a head-turner that it made the car cast of “The Fate of The Furious” film. However, its GM roots are only skin deep.
The Rhino XT is actually a modified Jeep Wrangler, which is deliciously ironic. USSV offers the build with the choice of a V6, V8 or supercharged Hellcat V8 engine at prices ranging from around $100,000 to $150,000.
But it’s not the only time the HX has been resurrected in an odd way.
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The UK’s My Electric Vehicle company started building a fully licensed Hummer HX-T neighborhood/resort electric vehicle in 2011 beating GM to market with a battery-powered Hummer by 11 years.
However, the $15,000 teeny-tiny truck is powered by a 5 hp motor that’s good for a top speed of around 20 mph, which is a far cry from the 1,000 hp drivetrain in the $110,000 GMC Hummer EV.