General Motors Co. is resurrecting the Hummer name on an all-electric pickup truck to be sold under the GMC brand, according to people familiar with the matter, reviving a once-popular yet controversial badge that was phased out a decade ago.
GM has enlisted NBA superstar LeBron James to promote Hummer’s return, including a plan to air a commercial during the Super Bowl next month, said one of these people and another person with knowledge of the advertising plans.
The new Hummer model, which is expected to go on sale by early 2022, is likely to be sold in small volumes as a rugged, jeep-like pickup truck for off-road enthusiasts, said people briefed on the strategy.
The vehicle will be among the first of several large, battery-powered SUVs and pickup trucks that GM is expected to roll out over the next several years.
As of now there are no plans to establish Hummer as a stand-alone brand, which it was before GM discontinued it in 2010 in the wake of the company’s bankruptcy, these people said.
Rather, the Hummer electric pickup will be sold as an individual model within GMC, these people said, a pricey, premium truck brand that has emerged over the past decade as a bigger contributor to GM’s bottom line.
GM’s move to bring back the Hummer as an electric-model is an unexpected twist for a name that became a symbol of gas-guzzling excess. Hummer went from heady sales growth as a status symbol in the early 2000s to a frequent target of environmentalists later in the decade, as gas prices spiked and sales tanked.
The planned Hummer truck is the latest example of Detroit’s auto makers broadening their truck and SUV lineups to boost profitability, while largely purging lower-margin passenger cars from their lineups.
Auto makers and startup companies also are rushing to bring electric trucks and SUVs to the U.S. market, convinced there is a niche of buyers willing to pay a premium.
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Tesla Inc. has reported strong interest in its Cybertruck, a futuristic-looking vehicle scheduled to arrive by late 2021. Ford Motor Co. is working on an electric F-150 pickup. Michigan-based Rivian Automotive plans to roll out an electric pickup and SUV by late this year.
GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV derive the bulk of their profit globally from large SUVs and pickup trucks, analysts say, and are betting there is room for more models in their showrooms.
The companies have been trying to capitalize on the nostalgia of nameplates from their past as they broaden their offerings of trucks and SUVs.
—Ben Foldy contributed to this article.
Write to Mike Colias at Mike.Colias@wsj.com and Suzanne Vranica at suzanne.vranica@wsj.com
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