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GM unveils electrical Hummer SUV topping $110,000

The 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV and the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Sport Utility Truck or SUT.

GM

DETROIT – General Motors unveiled an all-electric Hummer SUV on Saturday that will exceed $ 110,000 when it is sold in 2023. The vehicle will be the stable mate for an upcoming Hummer pickup that is due to go on sale this fall.

“The GMC Hummer EVs should be the most powerful and compelling electric supertrucks ever,” said Duncan Aldred, GMC’s global vice president, in a statement.

The 2024 Hummer EV SUV has the same jaw-dropping torque of up to 11,500 foot-pounds as the pickup truck. However, it’s estimated to be 50 miles less range, 170 horsepower less, and a half a second slower than the pickup’s battery size.

The range of the SUV is estimated at 250 to more than 300 miles, depending on the model. The 0 to 60 mph is as fast as about 3.5 seconds. According to GM, it has up to 830 hp.

The Hummer EV SUV made its debut during an ad narrated by NBA star LeBron James during the NCAA Final Four game between the Baylor Bears and Houston Cougars on CBS.

Pricing

Full price for the SUV ranges from approximately $ 80,000 for a base model to $ 110,595 for a special “Edition 1” starter model with an “Extreme Off-Road Package” available. Prices vary depending on the range, performance and battery size of the vehicle.

GM said it will start producing the highest priced models in early 2023, followed by cheaper versions in spring 2024. The automaker is taking reservations for the vehicle on its website.

The pricing and tiered production are similar to GM’s introduction of the Hummer pickup. Initial availability of the Hummer EV pickup this fall starts at $ 112,595 for a sold out “Edition 1”. A year later, a version valued at $ 99,995 will be available, followed by models valued at $ 89,995 and $ 79,995 in the springs of 2023 and 2024, respectively.

The exterior of the vehicles looks the same except for the locked back of the SUV compared to the open bed of the pickup. Both feature a new version of Hummer’s traditional slotted grille with “HUMMER” backlighting on the front of the vehicles.

The 2022 Hummer EV features a new version of the vehicle’s traditional slot grill with “HUMMER” light lighting on the front of the truck.

GM

Both also offer a variety of off-road parts and features such as adaptive air suspension and “crab mode” which allows all four wheels to be turned at the same time, allowing the truck to move almost diagonally.

Like the pickup, the SUV is available with GM’s Super Cruise driver assistance system, which enables hands-free calling on more than 200,000 miles of highways with restricted access in the US and Canada.

Revive Lobster

The Hummer and SUV are manufactured at an assembly plant in Detroit. They are the first Hummers since GM discontinued known gas-guzzling versions of the vehicles in 2010.

GM President Mark Reuss previously told CNBC that the decision to revive Hummer for electric vehicles came after a discussion between him, GM CEO Mary Barra and at least one other executive in early 2019 about redesigning Hummer for a new generation of buyers .

“We just wanted to do it. We saw the opportunity for trucks,” Reuss said during GM’s EV Day earlier this year. “We always wanted to do this with Hummer, but it had so much baggage from the gas eater’s point of view that we turned it upside down.”

The Hummer pickups, which GM calls the Sport Utility Truck or SUT, will be the first vehicle with the automaker’s next-generation electric vehicle platform and batteries to move to electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025 as part of a $ 27 billion plan should be converted.

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Jeep unveils long-awaited Grand Wagoneer SUV topping $111,000

2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

jeep

DETROIT – Jeep’s long-awaited Grand Wagoneer SUV will further build on the quintessential off-road brand in luxury vehicles with a fully loaded model of over $ 111,000 when it goes on sale later this year.

The new three-row SUV will test whether Jeep can expand its product range to the lucrative luxury SUV segment and win new customers such as Cadillac, Lincoln and Land Rover. Jeep has expanded its mainstream SUVs to a full range of vehicles in recent years amid the influx of new competitors.

The Grand Wagoneer will be the premium sibling of a lower-priced SUV called Wagoneer, which starts at $ 57,995. Both vehicles are the same size, but the Grand Wagoneer – starting at $ 86,995 – has a slightly different exterior design, a more powerful engine, and exclusive interiors. Both vehicles are to be presented online on Thursday.

“Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are born from Jeep, but their character is different from the rest of the brand,” said Jeep CEO Christian Meunier during a press conference prior to the unveiling. “They are modern and future-oriented. There is pure DNA on which we build to make these products absolutely unique.”

Screens galore

While the exterior of the Grand Wagoneer is unmistakably a jeep, the interior of the SUV may be unrecognizable to current owners. It has up to 75-inch screens, including an available 10.25-inch touchscreen in front of the passenger that can stream videos and Amazon Fire TV and control certain functions such as navigation and outdoor cameras.

2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

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The interior of the vehicle is also equipped with high-quality materials such as satined American walnut wood, aluminum and Nappa or Palermo leather seats with leather upholstery.

“You can match this interior of the Grand Wagoneer against anything in the market,” said Jim Morrison, head of Jeep’s North American office. “I’m not just saying any SUVs, you can take that up against anything on the market.”

Overall, compared to the Grand Wagoneer, the Wagoneer has fewer standard functions and high-quality materials. For example, the cheaper Wagoneer offers up to 50 ”screens compared to 75”. Some of the screens are smaller and do not have touch screens for convenience settings. Amazon Fire TV is available as both a passenger touchscreen and a front passenger touchscreen, which is not visible to the driver through a filter.

2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

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Jeep said both Wagoneer models will eventually offer hands-free driver assistance systems on “approved roads,” but a spokesman declined to offer additional details. The vehicles are started with a driver assistance system that can control the speed, braking and distance of the vehicle between other vehicles. However, drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel.

Wagoneer

The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are expected to hit dealerships in the second half of 2021, including a top-end Grand Wagoneer Series III model starting at $ 103,995. Jeep is accepting refundable deposits of $ 500 for both vehicles through the Jeep website starting Thursday.

2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

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Jeep dealers must be certified to sell the models. Certification includes training and an undisclosed investment. You have to fulfill 10 “promises” for Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer owners, ranging from free WiFi and car washes during service visits to a “high-tech and efficient sales and service experience”. The automaker also offers 24-hour customer service to the owners.

“Customer satisfaction with the product and the way they are treated throughout the buying process is paramount to the overall Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer experience,” said Meunier.

The names Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer were previously used by Jeep for large SUVs from 1963 to 1991. The company had promised to revive the Wagoneer name for almost a decade in order to better survive in the highly profitable large SUV segment.

The vehicles with seven or eight people are largely based on a concept version of the vehicle that the company unveiled last year. The concept incorporated similar design elements, as well as many features and screens of the interior. Notable missing elements from the concept include an illuminated grille, an all-glass roof, and a plug-in hybrid petrol electric motor.

V-8 engines

Jeep has announced that all new models will offer some form of electrification, such as the plug-in hybrid system. However, executives declined to comment on the alternative powertrains for the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Meunier said the brand has “a plan for electrification”.

2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

jeep

Jeep’s new parent company, Stellantis, the result of a $ 52 billion merger between automakers Fiat Chrysler and Groupe PSA, plans to offer a range of all-electric or hybrid vehicles by 2025.

The Wagoneer comes standard with a 5.7 liter mild hybrid V-8 developing 392 horsepower and 404 foot pounds of torque. The Grand Wagoneer comes standard with the 6.4 liter V8 engine delivering 471 horsepower and 455 foot pounds of torque. Each engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The hybrid engine has a 48-volt battery that offers better fuel consumption and faster acceleration, as well as other benefits.

Jeep has not published any estimates of the vehicles’ fuel consumption.

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NRF mentioned vacation gross sales rose 8.3%, topping estimates

People shop for vacation items at the country store on Main Street in Stockbridge, Massachusetts on December 13, 2020.

Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images

According to the National Retail Federation on Friday, holiday retail sales rose 8.3% from 2019 as consumers used the gift season as a way to cheer themselves up during the Covid pandemic.

“With the spread of the virus on the rise, government restrictions on retailers, and heightened political and economic uncertainty, consumers chose gifts that lifted the spirits of their families and friends and conveyed a sense of normalcy in the challenging year,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation, in a statement.

That is more than expected by the large retail group and more than double the average annual increase. NRF forecast in November that Christmas sales in 2020 will increase between 3.6% and 5.2% year over year, ranging from $ 755.3 billion to $ 766.7 billion. Americans were said to be spending more as they had less travel and dining expenses and were hoping for the Covid vaccine to be distributed.

Christmas sales have increased by an average of 3.5% over the past five years, and they have increased 4% in 2019, the NRF said. The sales exclude car dealerships, gas stations and restaurants.

The pandemic has messed up typical holiday shopping patterns. Many retailers started selling back in October and closed their shops on Thanksgiving. You have put more offers online and expanded contactless options, e.g. B. Roadside collection to reduce the number of shoppers in stores.

Even so, there were some factors that the retailer could not get hold of, such as economic insecurity and unemployment during the recession and fewer gatherings with family and friends.

NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said the surge in Christmas sales was “truly phenomenal given the extremes this economy has been through”. He said the month-to-month numbers reflect push and pull of factors from temporary store closures and vacations to stimulus payments.

Ultimately, he said, consumer mindset and savings accounts inspired them to spend. He said the sales indicate that more people want a vacation that’s better than normal during a difficult year and that money has been put aside after they canceled their vacation and had fewer options to spend their money safely.

He said the desire to celebrate the holidays is great, even for low-income families and people who are unemployed.

“Vacation comes once a year and even the most economically challenged people still have an emphasis on vacation,” he said. “They will try to do the best they can.”

The Christmas sales also reflected pandemic trends such as: B. Cooking and sports at home and DIY projects. Online and other off-store sales saw the largest increase of nearly 24% year over year, according to the NRF.

Sales in building materials and gardening supplies stores rose nearly 20%. This was followed by sales of sports stores, which grew about 15%, and grocery and beverage stores, which grew nearly 10%. Sales in the health and personal care and furniture and home decor stores increased 5% and 2%, respectively.

Sales in general merchandise stores were virtually unchanged. However, sales in the electronics and housewares stores were down 14%. Sales in clothing and apparel accessory stores were down about 15%. Some laptop or pajama purchases were likely classified as online or non-in-store sales, as customers made purchases from their couches or used options like roadside pickup. Some electronics purchases may have been made earlier in the year when people were working at home and going to school.

Retailers have started reporting some of their individual sales results. Lululemon, which had strong sales in the leisure industry while working from home, forecast a fourth quarter profit at the high end of its expectations due to the strong holiday season. Comparable sales online and in-store rose 17% in November and December, according to Target, as vacation shoppers flocked to convenient, contactless options like roadside pickup. However, Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters reported disappointing holidays as many shoppers stayed away from malls.