The fastest production Hummer in the world is heading for Australia, thanks not to parent General Motors but rather Australian-owned Autogroup International.
Converted en masse by Autogroup International, the 2024 GMC Hummer EV – in both ute and SUV body styles – is now shipping worldwide to 40+ right-hand drive countries.
Autogroup International is an Australian-owned, Sri Lankan-based operation with 30-plus years’ experience in left- to right-hand drive vehicle conversions.
Specialising in American SUVs, muscle cars and pickup trucks, it has invested extensively to convert the Hummer EV to right-hand drive in preparation for relevant new markets including Australia.
The company says the mirror image conversion, including complex electrical and mechanical engineering by the team at Autogroup International, has resulted in the Hummer EV being safely converted, homologated and made ADR compliant under their ISO 9001:2015 quality assurance program.
The GMC Hummer EV is instantly recognisable, with a design clearly influenced by the classic H2 and H3 Hummers, but it packs electric powertrains with heady performance figures.
There are a range of versions available, including the Hummer EV 2 with its two motors and 419kW of power, the Hummer EV 3 with its three motors delivering 610kW, and the limited-edition Hummer EV 3 ‘Omega’ in its Neptune Blue Matte exterior with various off-road enhancements.
At a quoted 619kW of power, the Hummer EV 3 can rocket from 0-100km/h in just 3.5 seconds and offer a claimed electric range of around 500km.
For off-road use the vehicle features rear-wheel steering with ‘crab walk’ capabilities. Under the right boot a Watts to Freedom mode offers crazy acceleration, the air suspension delivers six inches of adjustable lift, and the removable ‘infinity panels’ provide an open-air experience.
While most versions will come with 22-inch wheels, the EV 3 will offer an Extreme Off Road Pack that includes 18-inch beadlock compatible wheels.
With production limited to just 550 units though, it’s unclear if we will see any of these more capable models landing into Australia.
Tech features include 800V DC fast charging, Ultravision camera system with under-body cameras, a 13.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14-speaker premium Bose sound system, and semi-automatic parking.
Autogroup International requires approximately four weeks to convert a Hummer EV to right-hand drive and importantly this is with full homologation and compliance allowing for the legal import of the vehicle into all right-hand drive countries.
Each vehicle is supported by a three-year ‘full vehicle’ warranty, backed by Autogroup International.
“The launch of the 2024 right-hand drive Hummer EV SUV and Pickup builds on our heritage of having converted hundreds of the older H2 and H3 Hummers in the early 2000s, and the Hummer EV, is now available to our customers in right-hand drive countries worldwide,” said Autogroup International CEO Rob Hill.
“It is a testament to my team, whose decades of experience, alongside our electrical, mechanical and reverse engineering crew plus our extraordinary production team, that Autogroup International is able to deliver a safe, legally compliant and perfect right-hand drive Hummer EV.”
With expected prices to sit between $150,000 and $165,000, uptake of the Hummer EV could be successful based on its performance and capability. The big test though will be to see how its range fares when towing.
