General Motors brought its very first Hummer EV produced with an SUV body to the auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The VIN 001 vehicle brought home 500,000 USD – five times the starting price, but still not as impressive as the $2,500,000 its pickup truck predecessor won a couple of years ago.
The Edition 1 spec is fully loaded with features and utilizes a trio of electric motors, just like the truck. However, while the truck gets 1,014 PS (1,006 hp / 750 kW), the new SUV makes do with “only” 842 PS (830 hp / 619 kW). It is also around 250 mm (10 inches) shorter than the truck, has five doors, and runs out of battery juice after 300 miles (483 km) of driving, down from the truck’s 350 mi (563 km).
The options are largely the same. There is a suspension lift kit for 400 mm (15.6 inches) of clearance, 4WS with Crab Mode support (sideways driving in tight spots), removable roof panels and a two-display infotainment.
If you are wondering why the Hummer EV SUV fetched as much money as it did in the first place, consider that the model went on backorder last fall because General Motors was simply unable to keep up with the demand. The waiting queue is over two years long right now. Among other things, GM executives mentioned battery supply issues as they explained the production delays.