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GMC shows how the 2022 Hummer could have looked even more futuristic

Excitement filled the room when GMC asked its designers to resurrect the Hummer in April 2019, but a tinge of uneasiness permeated the department after executives locked in an early 2020 unveiling date. Luckily, stylists knew what they wanted early on in the development phase, and preliminary design sketches give us a fascinating look at how they shaped the electric off-roader that ended up making its global debut online in October 2020. Hummer, the brand, unceremoniously shut down in 2010 after General Motors failed to sell it to the Chinese, but its design DNA was so strong that stylists were able to pick up where their predecessors left off. All of the sketches published on Instagram by the official General Motors Design account show a boxy truck with a tall front end, a short windshield, and a generous amount of ground clearance. These styling cues trace their roots to the AM General Humvee that entered production in 1984 and made its combat debut when the United States invaded Panama in 1989. Even the wildest drawings still depict a pickup that's immediately recognizable as a Hummer. Most of the early design sketches wear some variation of the seven-slot grille that characterized Hummer's production models; it's a styling cue that hints at a heritage shared with Jeep under the American Motors Corporation (AMC) umbrella. Oddly, none wear the round headlights seen on the H2, the H3, and the HX concept that nearly became the H4. Was GMC afraid that its Hummer would end up looking too much like a Jeep? And, at least one sketch shows a fold-down windshield, a feature that will not make it to the assembly line. Sketches never reach production without modifications made in the name of packaging and safety concerns, and the Hummer is no exception, but stylists did a good job of reinventing the brand's design language without copying or erasing the past. If the company had stuck around long enough to make a second- and a third-generation H2, odds are it would look a lot like the GMC-branded model that will enter production in a year. GMC remains on track to start 2022 Hummer deliveries in late 2021, though it told Green Car Reports that it still hasn't built a fully functional prototype yet. When it arrives, this outdoorsy pickup will land in a burgeoning segment of the truck market that numerous models (including the Rivian R1T and Ford's electric F-150) will also call home.

GM Design shows another early Hummer EV sketch

Like a new mother who's still so excited about her one-year-old baby that she can't stop showing ultrasound photos, General Motors is so excited about its biggest new baby, the battery-electric GMC Hummer, that it can't stop showing off development design sketches. The off-road monster with the 200-kWh Ultium battery pack debuted online on October 21 last year. The next day, the GM Design Instagram page posted some of the Hummer's early "theme sketches" leading to the production version. These had a conceptual flair to them, but were rather restrained. A month later, GM uncovered a series of development renderings showing off a much wilder truck bursting with more angles than a geometry text book. The archives have opened up again with a new "ideation sketch," this one between the first believable sketches and the second truck that Master Chief and Doomguy share on their days off.  All three sets of drawings show similar three-box proportions, it's the details that got a ton of love. On this newest sketch, the fenders flare a touch more than on the production truck, but the wheel wells are cut with the kind of clearance found on a Baja 1000 Trophy Truck. Out back, save for the tow hooks, the rear end is totally different than production. The sketch puts illuminated Hummer script across a narrow tailgate flanked by small square, taillights housing six individual elements. Beneath that, a bumper-less rear end puts nothing more than a sloped bash pate between the truck and the rocks it's just scrambled over. To our eyes, this is the best blend of production-ready comfort from the first sketches and zoot suit angles from the second that we've seen so far.  First deliveries of the GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 are expected before the year is out. When we get a chance to absorb the truck in its native habitats, we'll know whether there's cause for disappointment at what could have been. If so, with all this hunger among the monied for something different, we feel like restomodders have been given the perfect head starts on custom rebodied Hummers that would make things right. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

IIHS: High numbers of drivers treat partially automated cars as fully self-driving

WASHINGTON — Drivers using advanced driver assistance systems like Tesla Autopilot or General Motors Super Cruise often treat their vehicles as fully self-driving despite warnings, a new study has found. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an industry funded group that prods automakers to make safer vehicles, said on Tuesday a survey found regular users of Super Cruise, Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT Assist and Tesla Autopilot "said they were more likely to perform non-driving-related activities like eating or texting while using their partial automation systems than while driving unassisted." The IIHS study of 600 active users found 53% of Super Cruise, 42% of Autopilot and 12% of ProPILOT Assist owners "said that they were comfortable treating their vehicles as fully self-driving." About 40% of users of Autopilot and Super Cruise — two systems with lockout features for failing to pay attention — reported systems had at some point switched off while they were driving and would not reactivate. "The big-picture message here is that the early adopters of these systems still have a poor understanding of the technologyÂ’s limits," said IIHS President David Harkey. The study comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is scrutinizing Autopilot crashes. Since 2016, the NHTSA has opened 37 special investigations involving 18 deaths in crashes involving Tesla vehicles and where systems like Autopilot were suspected of use. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla says Autopilot does not make vehicles autonomous and is intended for use with a fully attentive driver who is prepared to take over. GM, which in August said owners could use Super Cruise on 400,000 miles (643,740 km) of North American roads and plans to offer Super Cruise on 22 models by the end of 2023, did not immediately comment. IIHS said advertisements for Super Cruise focus on hands-free capabilities while Autopilot evokes the name used in passenger airplanes and "implies TeslaÂ’s system is more capable than it really is." IIHS in contrast noted ProPILOT Assist "suggests that itÂ’s an assistance feature, rather than a replacement for the driver." NHTSA and automakers say none of the systems make vehicles autonomous. Nissan said its name "is clearly communicating ProPILOT Assist as a system to aid the driver, and it requires hands-on operation.