GM will reportedly debut an all-electric Hummer during the Super Bowl this Sunday. Here's a look back at the vehicle's storied past.
Much like the Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender, and Mercedes G-Wagen, the Hummer traces its origins back to a military vehicle.
In 1983, an American Motors subsidiary called AM General won a $1.2 billion contract to develop a high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle, otherwise known as an HMMWV.
Source: The New York Times
Nicknamed the Humvee by soldiers, the burly vehicles were used as command centers, ambulances, and troop carriers for the US military starting in 1985.
Source: Time
Soldiers referred to the HMMWV as "jeeps on steroids," since the ultra-capable Humvee could ascend 60% grades, roll through 30 inches of water, and climb up a 22-inch step.
Sources: Time, Dupont Registry
In 1992, AM General released the first civilian version of the Humvee, the Hummer, which came to be known as the Hummer H1 after GM bought the brand in 1999.
Sources: History, Autotrader
Essentially a barely modified Humvee, it weighed roughly 7,000 pounds — or far more than two Honda Civics combined — got around 10 mpg, and retained military-specific appointments like hoops up front that would potentially allow it to be dropped from a plane.
Sources: Edmunds, The Los Angeles Times, Autotrader
It was a force off road due to its locking differentials, high-torque diesel engine options, and central tire inflation system that allowed drivers to adjust tire pressure on the go.
Source: General Motors
The H1 was a fairly niche vehicle, and sales figures reflect that — during its 14-year run, fewer than 12,000 H1s were sold.
Source: Hemmings
In 2002, GM introduced the smaller Hummer H2. It featured similar styling to the H1, but came with a lower price tag.
Source: History
While the H1 shared a great deal with the military-spec Humvee, the H2 was built on a platform cobbled together from the Chevy Tahoe and GM's heavy-duty pickups.
Source: Autotrader
The H2 weighed several hundred pounds less than its predecessor, and boasted slightly better fuel economy at an estimated 10 to 13 mpg.
Source: Edmunds, The New York Times
While it wasn't as robust or capable as the H1, the H2 sported some impressive specs — it could climb over a 30-inch wall, take on 20 inches of water, and tow 7,000 pounds.
Source: The New York Times
A pickup version, called the H2 SUT, which stands for "sport-utility truck," arrived on the scene for 2005. It had a pickup bed and started at $53,055.
Source: Car and Driver
Introduced for 2006, the third version of the Hummer — called the H3, unsurprisingly — strayed further from the brand’s military heritage.
Source: Carfax
It was smaller and more affordable than previous Hummers — based on the Chevy Colorado pickup platform, the H3 stood 16.8 inches shorter and 6.5 inches narrower than the H2.
Source: Car and Driver
It could be had for as little as $29,500 and, like the H2, featured a pickup alternative called the H3T.
Source: Kelley Blue Book
With an EPA-estimated 20 mpg, the H3 boasted nearly double the fuel economy of the H2.
Source: Car and Driver
The H2 was sold through the 2009 model year, while the H3 wasn't phased out until the demise of the Hummer brand in 2010.
Source: Advance Auto Parts
Amid broad financial struggles, rising fuel prices, and plummeting sales for the gas-guzzling Hummer lineup, the General shuttered the brand just 11 years after acquiring it.
In the years since Hummer shut down, tuners have used the H1 platform to build some truly off-the-wall custom trucks, like this 500-horsepower model created by Mil-Spec Automotive that's currently listed for $250,000.
Source: Motor Authority, Mil-Spec Automotive
And in 2017, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a huge fan of the original Hummer, unveiled an electric H1 prototype built by Kreisel Electric. Earlier that year, he helped the company present a zero-emissions Mercedes G-Wagen.
While it's unlikely that it will have much in common with Kreisel's creation, we'll have to wait a little longer to see what GM's reported electric Hummer is all about.
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