Big (Electric) Vehicle Announcements
The auto world was jolted this week when both the Lincoln Division of Ford and the GMC Division of General Motors made significant announcements regarding future electric products. Specifically, two new all-electric vehicles are coming, one from a joint venture, and the other from a brand placed in mothballs more than a decade ago. If there are any doubts less gasoline will be needed in the coming decades, these vehicles should quiet the skeptics.
Lincoln/Rivian Skateboard EV
Answering speculation about what Ford’s $500 million investment in the Rivian start-up would produce is an all-new, fully electric vehicle from Lincoln that will be based on Rivian’s skateboard platform. That skateboard is a flat chassis that includes motors, battery pack, computer systems and suspension. Lincoln will supply the “top hat,” the body and interior of the vehicle.
The yet-to-be-named battery electric vehicle (BEV) will join the current Lincoln SUVs of the Navigator, Corsair and Aviator, with the latter two currently available in hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions. With the Ford Motor Company announcing in 2018 they are abandoning sedans and will now be building crossovers, SUVs and trucks and electrifying them, anticipate the Lincoln-Rivian vehicle to be a crossover or SUV, unless it will be a return to pickups by Lincoln—remember the Mark LT?
The unnamed Lincoln will join Ford’s new electric that debuted in November 2019, the all-new Mustang Mach-E crossover BEV. It should hit the market soon after the Mach-E. The two vehicles, along with others coming from Ford, demonstrate its decision to try to be on the forefront of the electric propulsion wave that’s sweeping the auto industry.
Rivian, based in Plymouth, Michigan, is an electric vehicle start-up that came on the scene in 2009 with a goal of launching an all-electric pickup truck and SUV in late 2020. Rivian drew the attention of Amazon, T. Rowe Price, and the Ford Motor Company as investors, raising almost $3 billion last year. When Ford became an investor, the auto industry was abuzz with the possibilities of there being an all-electric Ford pickup. The speculation was soon put to rest as Ford announced a BEV and hybrid version of the F-150 pickup based on its own platform would be seen dealerships as early as 2021.
No details have officially been released about the timing of the arrival of the all-new electric Lincoln.
GMC Hummer EV
Yep, you read that right—Hummer is back! General Motors is planning to make a smash, introducing the new GMC Hummer EV via a Super Bowl commercial tomorrow (Feb. 2). GM also announced it would be dedicating one of its plants solely to the production of future EVs.
For a dozen years the Hummer brand had laid dormant, and for a generation of drivers, it may be completely unknown. This week the GMC division announced it is planning to reintroduce the Hummer in 2021, but with a revolutionary difference from the old model. The GMC Hummer EV will be:
- All-electric
- Zero emissions
- 1,000 horsepower
- 11,500 pound-feet of torque
- 0-to-60 in three seconds
Yowzers, baby, a true WTF moment is coming our way! But you don’t need to wait for 2021, as GMC is running a 30-second advertisement on the 2020 Super Bowl broadcast to let the world know that Hummer Is Back!
Link to GMC Hummer EV teaser ads and the actual ad here.
With a 1983 contract from the Pentagon, AM General developed and built the Humvee (high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle) for military use. In 1992, a civilian version hit showrooms and was sold through 2009, when it was one of the casualties of the GM bankruptcy. The street version of the old Hummer was a massive, hulking vehicle that was rarely found off-road in rough terrain, but a common sight on the tame and tony streets of cities like Beverly Hills, CA. It had become a status symbol. California’s former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had a small fleet of them, because what says macho he-man better than a 10,000-pound, 10-mile-to-the-gallon SUV? Of course, as Arnold got on board with environmental issues, he converted at least one of his Hummers to run on hydrogen, producing no tailpipe emissions. Maybe he saw what was coming!
Hummer later added smaller, but not very efficient, models to the lineup. It became the poster child of the gas-guzzling SUV, part of which led to its demise as a stand-alone brand. Like Ford, GM is not going to give up any ground in its core, highly profitable truck market. If developing electric versions or new electric models is what it takes, GM has said it is on the case. It has already committed to an electric version of the Silverado pickup, which is due next year, coincidently the same time the Hummer EV is set to arrive. As we get closer, we should see how much they share.
The bottom line is the largest single segment of the U.S. automobile market—pickups—is clearly going to be electrified. Consumers starting next year—maybe even later this year—will be able to choose among Fords, Lincolns, Chevys, GMC Hummers or startups such as Tesla’s Cybertruck or the Bollinger B2, which looks like a reincarnation of the Hummer. The time of the electric truck is arriving soon.
Clean Fleet Report will do a thorough road test of the Lincoln-Rivian and GMC Hummer when they are made available to the press. We are excited to drive and learn as much as possible about them and pass along our thoughts on these unique vehicles.
Michael Coates contributed to this story.
Make sure to opt-in to the Clean Fleet Report newsletter (top right of page) to be notified of all new stories and vehicle reviews.
Related Stories You Might Enjoy—The EV Revolution
News: Pickup Electrification a Hot Topic
News: Rivian Shows Electric Pickup & SUV
Interview: Ford Electrifies—Sedans Need Not Apply
News: GMC Considers Electric Pickup
News: Tesla Cybertruck Appears
News: Bollinger Electric Pickup
6 thoughts on “News: Lincoln and GMC Make Electric News”