General Motors is celebrating the opening of a new design studio in Pasadena, California, with GMC Hummer X concepts in truck and SUV form. Labelled “highly reconfigurable mid-size EVs”, the imposing Hummer concepts don’t preview production models, although we’re told they’ll be a testbed “for new technologies, new aesthetics and new ways to build community around adventure, all centered around sustainability”. The Hummer X concepts clearly borrow plenty of design language from the production Hummer EV, with a flat-top roofline, narrow windows, blocky bodywork and full-width LED headlight signature. The SUV concept’s wheelbase is shorter, as is the overall length, and as a result, Hummer says the X redefines what a “mid-size EV can do off-road” – and it has the numbers to back this up. There are massive 37-inch off-road tyres that look more suited to something you’d drive on the moon, a whopping ground clearance of 334mm and approach and departure angles of 44 and 46 degrees respectively (a Land Rover Defender 90 has up to 40 degrees in comparison). The truck has a longer wheelbase and body, so its off-road figures aren’t quite as remarkable, although Hummer says it’s still suited to “rock crawling, trail running, or cruising the highway”. Other features designed to transform the Hummer X into a proper off-roader include beadlock wheels, bespoke shock absorbers, removable wings and “serious underbody protection”. The interior of the Hummer X models is akin to a Curry’s warehouse, because there’s no one massive screen but seven individual displays that are “stackable” – presumably, each one can be removed depending on the driver’s preference. The screens can also display imagery from a scout drone which can be flown from a mount on the car and feed back terrain data to the driver, for those especially gruelling off-road trails. Technical details such as range and performance haven’t been announced, although the production Hummer EV boasts one of the largest batteries fitted to a production car in the form of a 212kWh unit. However, that only allows for around 328 miles due to the size, shape and weight (4,071kg) of the SUV.
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