GM Finally Gets Its Tesla Moment
After years of hesitation, the legendary car manufacturer has finally tried to ignite its own electric vehicle frenzy
When it comes to electric vehicles, GM has spent a decade looking ambivalent. In 2010, the carmaker released the Volt, the world’s first major plug-in hybrid electric car. Then, in 2016, it debuted the Bolt, the first 200-mile, fully electric vehicle. Critics fawned over both cars, but GM seemed to shun the fanfare, designing the vehicles with what appeared to be almost deliberate frumpiness, and failing to promote either. Both have been sales failures, and last year GM stopped selling the Volt altogether.
What was with GM’s hesitation? Didn’t it want buzz? Didn’t it want to sell a lot of cars?
The doubts are finally over. In an ultra-splashy reveal this week, GM began to take orders for a fully loaded, all-electric Hummer. Within 10 minutes, its first-year production of the $112,000 vehicle maxed out reservations (each requiring a $100 deposit).
Company spokeswoman Michelle Malcho told me GM is not disclosing how many vehicles that actually means — but the video reveal excited lots of people. The reimagined Hummer boasts 350 miles of range on one charge, and, once you’ve driven down the battery, the capability for 100…
