AS a sea change takes over the auto industry, manufacturers are leaning into their most iconic branding moments to anchor their image.
Electric vehicles were all the rage at the New York International Auto Show, an industry event that features new and upcoming vehicles. But companies are making sure the tectonic shift is still couched in their classic folklore.
A prime example: the Hummer.
Hummer burst onto the scene in the early 1990s before GM swooped in to buy the civilian-made brand.
The company produced giant war-inspired, gas-guzzling behemoth trucks that captivated eyeballs.
Hummer's three variants - the H1, H2, and H3 - were cultural relics for the American car brand for years.
However, in 2009, after GM declared bankruptcy, the Hummer brand temporarily went the way of the dodo.
Gas prices had skyrocketed in the late aughts, turning consumers away from the massive trucks and into more fuel-efficient vehicles.
For years, GM's brands turned to more successful mid-size SUVs.
SUVs like the Acadia, Traverse, and Equinox have filled the brand's lineup of passenger people-movers.
Pickup trucks, like the Silverado and Sierra, have brought the company back to profitability - it made nearly $20 billion in profits last year.
But that success was surpassed by other disrupters in the industry.
American car manufacturers have been hesitant - if not late - to the electric vehicle transition.
While American companies like GM, Ford, and Stellantis have been producing gas-powered vehicles with a light switch to hybrids, automaker Tesla sped past the brands with massive success.
Tesla is now valued at $550 billion - almost three times the amount of all three American giants combined.
Fewer releases and press teams hit the Javitz Center for the New York International Auto Show Thursday, but...
A day after Kia, Hyundai, Subaru, and Genesis revealed new and remodeled vehicles, there was a lot to take away from the show's second day of media access.
To eat into Tesla's sudden market dominance, American automakers are leaning into their iconic branding moments and turning them into EVs.
Dodge is releasing an upcoming EV Challenger. Ford produces electric Mustangs (kind of, depending on which muscle car enthusiast you ask) and F-150s.
And now, a switch to electric vehicles jolted the Hummer back into the company's product lineup.
The car was sitting in the back of the New York International Auto Show in March 2024.
This time, the big-batteried Hummer is running with GMC badges.
Many design cues from the iconic 1990s and 2000s vehicles remain wrapped in a dabbling of new-age tech.
Digital infotainment screens are wrapped with chrome inlays. Giant bucket seats with tons of digital comfort options perch drivers in the front of the truck. An American flag runs down the side of the vehicle while topographic off-road maps are etched into the speakers.
Drivers will also find classic components in the new Hummer.
"Hummer" is plastered across the vehicle's face while massive 22-inch wheels hoist the cabin feet in the air.
The truck weighs over 10,000 pounds, making it one of the heaviest production vehicles in the US market.
Just this time, it doesn't produce smog.
The latest Hummer is a clear example of American brands trying to hold on to their iconic past while still revolutionizing to a zero-emissions future.
