GMC Says Commercials Helped Increase Hummer EV Reservations

Recently, General Motors disclosed having more than 66,000 reservations for the GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV combined.

That’s a spectacular number and it represents enough demand to cover production into 2024, GMC says. No, the automaker isn’t mistaking reservations for orders; Duncan Aldred, vice president of global Buick and GMC, says the conversion rate for Hummer reservations to orders exceeds 90% so far. Assuming this rate applied to all reservations, GM would have 59,400 firm orders for the electric truck and SUV.

As it turns out, March 2022 was the best month for GMC Hummer EV reservations since the SUV version was unveiled a year ago. The spike in interest is attributed by GMC to new advertisements released during key events.

For the NBA All-Star Game in February, GMC debuted a commercial titled “King of CrabWalk” (see it above) that showcased the Hummer EV pickup’s four-wheel-steer CrabWalk feature with LeBron James behind the wheel. Then during the NCAA college basketball tournament, GMC dropped another spot narrated by James featuring the Hummer SUV’s performance and specs.

LeBron James in the “King of CrabWalk” commercial for the 2022 GMC Hummer EV

“Awareness is a big thing, and I think that is on our side. Every time we seem to just put a little bit of an awareness tweak out there … we see the reservations follow.”

Duncan Aldred, global vice president of Buick-GMC

Since this strategy seems to be working in the case of the pickup, GMC plans to replicate the media push before the SUV goes on sale next year.

Going forward, as the Hummer EV goes through its product life cycle GMC will highlight special editions, colors and over-the-air updates. “We’ll keep the drumbeat going,” Aldred says.

The start of deliveries for the Hummer EV pickup in December 2021 also helped fuel reservations. GM delivered 100 Hummer EV pickups from December through March, and knowing the vehicle is available has heightened interest. 

Some of the early customers are taking note of the Hummer EV’s resale value, with some vehicles having been resold for more than double their original price of nearly $113,000.

With demand for the Hummer EV booming, there is little need for the electric truck to be featured in every ad. That said, some GMC dealers are hoping GM will use the Hummer EV as a flagship for the brand in its broader advertising, like Mercedes-Benz does with the G-Class.

“I think that the Hummer can be our G-Wagen,” Howard Drake, dealer principal at Buick-GMC Sherman Oaks in Southern California, told Automotive News.