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GMC Hummer EV could have had the Chevrolet Avalanche's Midgate

One of the many rumors swirling around the GMC Hummer EV claimed the truck would resurrect the Midgate inaugurated by the original Chevrolet Avalanche. Although we now know there's no way to fully knock down the partition between the cab and the cargo box, the firm revealed the rumor wasn't entirely false. "There was [a Midgate] early on. We opted for the functionality of the drop glass in the back. With the package layout and things like that, it was not advantageous to pursue that one. And, the five-foot bed was kind of the industry standard in regards to price of entry in that segment," explained John Mack, the Hummer's exterior design management, during an interview with Muscle Car & Trucks. The Hummer will go on sale with a five-foot box, and it doesn't sound like a longer bed will be available, so a modern version of the Midgate would have made the model more versatile by giving users the ability to fold down the partition behind the rear seats to carry bulky items, like plywood and ATVs. It's a feature that would have inevitably made the truck more complicated to build, however, because it adds moving parts that need to be sealed. Hinges, seals, and latches in turn add weight, and complexity almost always invites high manufacturing costs. As an electric pickup built with newly-developed components, the Hummer already has enough of each. Motorists who need to carry something that's significantly longer than the cargo box aren't entirely out of luck. As Mack pointed out, the rear window drops into the partition, so owners will have the ability to haul surfboards, lumber, or anything else that's relatively long and reasonably thin by simply pushing a switch. Alternatively, the only thing limiting cargo space when the roof comes off is the sky — or, depending on where you live, bridges. Mack didn't reveal when the Midgate was dropped. GMC launched the Hummer project in April 2019, and it previously released early design sketches that show how the truck transitioned from a sketch to a prototype. As of writing, nothing suggests the Midgate will make a comeback in the near future on any member of the General Motors portfolio. It was introduced in 2001 on the first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche, which went on sale in the United States for the 2002 model year. It later spread to Cadillac's luxed-up variant of the truck, the Escalade EXT, and to the short-lived GMC Envoy XUV.

GMC Hummer EV hits Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog for twice the price

This winter season, Nieman Marcus is getting into the true meaning of Christmas by offering a bunch of seriously expensive stuff in its annual holiday catalog. There's usually at least one automotive offering, and this year it's a 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 for an eye-watering $285,000. That's $172,405 more than the regular Edition 1 crab-walker, which is priced by GMC at $112,595. And what does one get for more than 2.5 times the cost of the most expensive electric Hummer? Well, hold your 1,000 horses, because this isn't just any Hummer EV Edition 1. No, it's a one-off Barrett-Jackson Hummer EV Edition 1. The interior of this Barrett-Jackson edition Hummer has been "curated" by Craig Jackson himself. And by curated, they mean it has a bunch of red trim everywhere and is garnished with a Neiman Marcus logo. Aside from that, there is nothing appreciably different about it. No performance upgrades, no special paint job. You do get an electric charging station at home, though, which might be the most useful addition to this whole enterprise. If that's not worth the price of an entire 1.5 extra Hummers to you, there's more. You get two VIP passes for the opening gala of the Barrett-Jackson auctions in exotic Scottsdale, Ariz. During the auction, you'll get access for two to Carolyn and Craig Jackson's personal skybox from where you can watch 1,500 cars trade hands. But don't get too comfy, because at some point you'll be invited on stage to receive your Hummer EV in front of a gaggle of inebriated fishing boat dealership owners. Oh, and you'll also get to bang the little auction hammer. You can pair the Hummer with other gifts in Nieman Marcus' "fantasy" catalog, like a $6.1 million dollar diamond ring. However, if you go with the $395,000 Great Gatsby-style roaring '20s party, make sure it doesn't end with the 9,000-pound Hummer Daisy Buchanan-ing any bystanders. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Super Bowl car commercials: Follow along as we riff on them live

Join Autoblog editors Sunday starting around 6:30 p.m. ET as we react to all of the car commercials during the game. We know Hummer, Porsche, Hyundai and others will have splashy ads, and naturally, there's usually a few surprises. Whether you're a Chiefs or 49ers fan — or don't care about football — the commercials are always a highlight. And for us, the car spots are the most intriguing. Weigh in with your own thoughts in the comments section. Let's kick off.   FIRST QUARTER Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore liveblogs the first quarter. F9 We'll count this as a car commercial. The latest edition of the Fast & Furious looks like it well, will have cars. We'll punt on further comment. PORSCHE I like it. Creative. Sort of a Night at the Museum feel. The guards stage a theft and then a car chase. The Taycan looked good. Get fired up — the future for Porsche is electric. The spot is meant to illustrate how fun that can be. I don't need any convincing.    SECOND QUARTER Associate Editor Byron Hurd is liveblogging the second quarter.  HYUNDAI Hyundai checked in super early with their Sonata "Smaht Pahk" commercial, which manages to score points for being both cute and clever while also being a fairly good commercial in a vacuum. We saw it last week, so there were no surprises here, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.  Fun note: If you go to the Sonata landing page on Hyundai's web site, you can choose "plain old English" or "the Boston way" for your language; the latter will translate the page. Enjoy.  FORD Hi ho, West Coast Editor James Riswick here. Apparently, the guys in Detroit didn't get the Mustang Mach E ad featuring Idris Elba and a whole boat load of awesome old Mustangs. Pretty sure it's bound to be viewed the exact same way as the car itself: traditionalists will be aghast, while non-car people will be intrigued by a new, all-electric, crossover version of one of the few cars they've heard of.  GENESIS They're coming more rapidly now. Genesis gets some love thanks to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend; this was another known quantity, but Hyundai's luxury brand managed another solid entry here thanks to its choice of stars. Teigen and Legend got the chance to throw back to the latter's "Sexiest Man Alive" honors, which Teigen often teases him for. Another solid all-around spot.  GMC/HUMMER Are there just no surprises left? Don't tell me; I know the answer. LeBron James fronts the revived Hummer, which will be an EV sold as a GMC.