After months of delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, General Motors Truck Company has revealed that the new, fully electric Hummer will finally make its eagerly anticipated debut next month. And the zero-emission utility truck will arrive with a new and unexpected feature: Crab Mode.
When the Detroit automaker’s electrified reboot makes its official debut on October 20, it will do so with an optional feature that allows it to drive diagonally. While we’ll have to wait another month for details about what exactly this mode will entail, GMC promises it is “tailor-made for off-roading customers.”
A teaser accompanying the announcement offers up a hint about what Crab Mode will actually do. It looks as if the add-on capability will allow the vehicle’s front and rear wheels to be turned in the same direction, allowing diagonal movement. While this would have clear off-roading benefits, it could also make things like squeezing into a tight parking space easier than ever before. Car and Driver points out that the functionality also gives the new Hummer a direct answer to the Rivian R1T’s “tank turn” feature, which will allow the upcoming electric truck to spin in a complete circle.
The GMC Hummer’s Crab Mode GMC/YouTube
First teased in a Super Bowl commercial starring LeBron James, the new Hummer was originally scheduled to make its debut in May just as Covid-19 brought life to a standstill around the world. Despite this, GMC has continued to offer tidbits of information about the vehicle in the proceeding months. At the beginning of the summer, the brand revealed the truck would have Jeep-like removable roof panels. Then, in July, the company offered up a shadowy peek at the vehicle’s truck and SUV design.
We won’t have a complete idea of what to expect from the resurrected Hummer until October 20, but what we already do know is mighty enticing. GMC has already confirmed that its first all-electric truck will produce 1,000 horses and 11,500 lb-ft of twist. The vehicle, which is scheduled to go into production next year, can also go from zero-to-60 mph in three seconds and travel 400 miles on a single charge, thanks to large-format Ultium batteries.
