Who's Buying the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1?

Too big and too expensive has never stopped people before, and the $112,595 list price of the first-edition Hummer didn't stop it from selling out immediately. We consider the demographics.

The 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 is an audacious product for GM to offer as the first in its Hummer lineup. But no one should be surprised; the Hummer brand has always been over the top. It was famously based on the Hummer military vehicle that Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to add to his personal collection, and you don't say no to the Terminator. Sure, the H2 felt like a pared-down compromise of the original military truck, but it still tapped into the need by some to own something larger than life—and maybe larger than the average studio apartment, too.

Although thoroughly technologically modern, the Hummer EV Edition 1 carries on the original Hummer's philosophical legacy. GM has yet to share dimensions and weight specs, but we've seen it in person and, yeah, it's huge. Like "how do I fit this in my garage or parallel park" huge. Maybe Crab mode will help with the parking situation. The Hummer is crammed with tech for both on- and off-road driving; maybe it needs all that space for sensors and computers and all-wheel steering and removable roof panels and wow, this is a huge list of features.

The question is, who is going to buy this behemoth? The answer is, quite a lot of people. GM reports that the Hummer EV Edition 1 reservations sold out within hours. It did not share the exact number of vehicles it was going to produce but did say that thousands of would-be buyers are on the waiting list, and GMC is now taking reservations for the slightly more affordable models that come out in a year.

We can only speculate about the demographics of those who are getting the first copies of this electrified beast. So let's break down who we believe would want (and be able to afford) the Hummer EV Edition 1:

They have to have money to afford a $112,595 electric SUV and have a place to store it. In other words, the wealthy. That leaves out most of the owners of the old H2, anyone who has a bit of money but lives in a dense urban area, and really most people. Like the Tesla Model S and Polestar 1 before it, this is a pricey halo vehicle, and it demands a halo price. We will say that the number of features on the vehicle mostly justifies the six-digit price tag. You get Crab mode and Super Cruise in a 1000-hp truck that, GM claims, does zero to 60 mph in three seconds.

Verdict: The rich or their children that are looking to replace their two-year-old G-wagen because the neighbors bought the same color and trim level three months ago.

We’ve already established that the Hummer EV Edition 1 (or HEVE1, if you're too cool to say words), is a large pile of metal, glass, batteries, and tech. It needs a big garage, although it could be kept outside in the elements without issues. Either way, you need somewhere to park this thing because street parking probably isn't an option. Also, a vehicle this size attracts someone who really needs to be seen. When they're driving down the street barely able to fit in their lane, you'll notice.

Verdict: Owner or renter of a large garage or driveway. Possibly a McMansion, old-money house, or one of those influencer houses with 15 young adults who are really good at dancing and love attention.

EVs appeal to the first adopter: someone who needs to be on the cutting edge. GM is targeting those people and sweetening the pot with its Super Cruise hands-free driver-assistance system, all-wheel steering, the ridiculous Watts to Freedom (WTF) that brings Space Mountain to the launch-control function, and a gigantic battery in a 350-mile-range package. The Hummer EV Edition 1 has everything for an early adopter who also enjoys imagining going off-road and driving through rivers.

Verdict: Tech employee with substantial stock options and a Strava account. Someone who still insists Betamax was the superior technology but has already bought an iPhone 12.

Electric cars are green. Sure, you need to factor in the carbon footprint of building a vehicle as large as the electric Hummer. But when placed against a similar gas vehicle, the EV equivalent has less impact on the planet. The Hummer's history complicates this matter. From a gas guzzler to an EV is a huge leap, and the enormity of it might not win over the eco-conscious. On the other hand, this could be a comeback of sorts, like when Robert Downey Jr. kicked his addictions and returned to acting and now he's Iron Man.

Verdict: Virtue signalers or a heavily funded eco co-op that needs the transportation to travel to far-off places off the beaten path. Likely already owns a Model 3 but is ready to step it up, and the Cybertruck has too many unknowns.

People love the outdoors. In fact, some all-wheel-drive vehicles actually make it off-road. These brave souls would use all the features on their off-road rig and probably have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars adding gear, only to realize that the noise of a gasoline engine scares off any animals they wanted to add to Instagram while being one with nature. This is not the rock-crawling bunch who have the Jeep Wrangler and really don’t care about anything else.

Plus, it's a convertible. How great is that for off-roading.

Verdict: The folks who have a spare tire, snorkel, skid plate, shovel, lift kit, light bar, and mounted to their vehicles and realize they've spent enough on their gas truck or SUV to get a Hummer EV Edition 1. They love nature and all it can add to their Instagram account.

In news that should surprise no one, CarGurus' as yet unpublished 2020 survey of 1000 truck owners found that 30 percent of younger owners (Gen Z and Millennial) expect they'll own an electric truck in the next five years—and 13 percent said they're prepared to consider buying a Hummer, compared with only 6 percent of older truck customers. Of course, that was before any of them had actually seen the 2022 Hummer EV.

Verdict: The children are our future and also future car buyers and they dig EVs. It's just pretty unlikely they are going to be on the list of Hummer Edition 1 buyers.