Should FCA-PSA introduce a Full-Size Jeep EV (100%) Pickup,or leave it to RAM?

[AlexB]

Well, oh Mary thinks bring back Hummer under GMC brand with Lebron James as the spokesperson as Full Size EV pickup will help GM:

GM has enlisted NBA superstar LeBron James to promote Hummer’s return, including a plan to air a commercial during the Super Bowl next month, said one of these people and another person with knowledge of the advertising plans.
GM executives have talked about the possibility of adding more rugged, off-road models to challenge the rising popularity of Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep brand.
Barclays analyst Brian Johnson said a strategy to put Hummer under the GMC banner makes sense as a way to leverage a well-known name without building costly sales and distribution infrastructure around it, which hurt Hummer last time around.
“Had gas prices not skyrocketed, and had they perhaps marketed it within another brand as opposed to having to set up infrastructure, maybe it would have stuck around longer,” Mr. Johnson said.
The Hummer name is derived from the military vehicle known as the Humvee, which is still made by AM General of South Bend, Ind. GM acquired the civilian version in the late 1990s and aggressively expanded its dealership network while gaining attention from celebrity owners like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Early Hummer models weighed 6,000-plus pounds and returned just 10 miles a gallon in average fuel economy. A Sierra Club official once said Hummer “embodied the worst impulses of the American auto industry.”
Mr. James has a long list of endorsements, including a lifetime deal with Nike Inc. Forbes ranks the Los Angeles Laker as the highest-paid player in the National Basketball Association and estimates that he will bring in $92 million in salary and endorsements for the 2019-2020 season.

WSJ News Exclusive | GM to Revive Hummer Name on New Electric Pickup Model

GM is reviving a once-popular yet controversial badge that was phased out a decade ago, according to people familiar with the matter.

www.wsj.com

Y'all have got thoughts about this ?

Will any Jeep, Tesla owners consider this EV Hummer By GMC? Do FCA-PSA need a Full Size 100% EV Pickup, or the market is just too early and therefore the Merged Company can wait it out doing things like PHEV RAM Pickup?
If FCA-PSA did do electric Full Size Pickup, should it be under the Jeep brand (''Grand Gladiator'' anybody) , under the RAM brand as a separate model, or inside the traditional RAM pickup series?

Also, rumors is Ford will finally show off the Bronco and ''Compass Competitor Baby Bronco in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Freshforged]

Looking forward to see what the new Bronco brings to the table.

 

[patfromigh]

Ram needs to concentrate on the ProMaster vans first. There's a lot of room for batteries in the frame of the full size ProMaster. (Ducato) I don't know if the Pacifica minivan's PHEV system is capable of handling the higher GVW of the ProMaster/Ducato. There is a need for such a van in the US market right now. The CNG fueled 3.0L four cylinder was never offered in North America for the ProMaster. Such a drivetrain would be a good solution for cities in the American Midwest.

I don't what the details are for the PHEV Jeep Wrangler are yet. Maybe that drivetrain would work with the Gladiator or a DT Ram. Ram catalogs the HFE Ram 1500 with the eTorque V6 system, but I have yet to see any evidence of one being built.

 

[GasAxe]

Ram has the sales volume to experiment with EVs to dilute the cost, not Jeep. An electric Tradesman model or full luxury E-truck makes more sense than a super niche electric Jeep truck.

 

[AlexB]

I'm taking that most (whom responded with voting) don't think this Hummer "comeback" under GMC brand will be all that successful?

 

[TripleT]

I thought it was owned by a Chinese Company.

 

[GasAxe]

I'm taking that most (whom responded with voting) don't think this Hummer "comeback" under GMC brand will be all that successful?

“Successful” will need to be defined. I would call E-Hummer successful if it broke-even as a brand through sales and a reduction in carbon credit purchases (I assume GM needs to buy some). It could create a test bed brand and more diverse electric vehicle presence in the market for GM but there’s no need to spend the money on resurrecting the Hummer brand. I’d put E trucks under GMC.

 

[AlexB]

“Successful” will need to be defined. I would call E-Hummer successful if it broke-even as a brand through sales and a reduction in carbon credit purchases (I assume GM needs to buy some). It could create a test bed brand and more diverse electric vehicle presence in the market for GM but there’s no need to spend the money on resurrecting the Hummer brand. I’d put E trucks under GMC.

20,000 Annual is GM's planning.

 

[GasAxe]

20k is a modest goal but I still wonder if the Hummer name will turn off the EV crowd more than inspiring sales by Hummer enthusiasts (giggle).

 

[KrisW]

Ram needs to concentrate on the ProMaster vans first. There's a lot of room for batteries in the frame of the full size ProMaster. (Ducato) I don't know if the Pacifica minivan's PHEV system is capable of handling the higher GVW of the ProMaster/Ducato.

There's a BEV Ducato available now for selected fleet customers: Fiat Pro World - New Fiat Ducato Electric Model | Fiat Professional UK

 

[patfromigh]

There's a BEV Ducato available now for selected fleet customers: Fiat Pro World - New Fiat Ducato Electric Model | Fiat Professional UK

In the USA we've had the Zenith-Motors BEV van available for a number of years. The van is a conversion of the Ram ProMaster, but it is unclear if the company is still in business.

Technology marches on. Dana engineers upgraded a Zenith van with their latest offerings.

 

[redriderbob]

 

[Deckard Cain]

20k is a modest goal but I still wonder if the Hummer name will turn off the EV crowd more than inspiring sales by Hummer enthusiasts (giggle).

Yeah, I don't understand who they want to target with this... Introduce an EV branded with one of the names environmentalists (and in theory EV buyers) hate the most, while coal-rollers won't buy it despite the name because it is an EV.
If I was FCA-PSA I would simply move to PHEVs. Those are good to hold out the next two to three years.
But give them more EV-only range than the Lincoln PHEVs, and the possibility of using the EV engine up to highway speeds. If they launched a PHEV pick-up with the battery size of the BMW X5 PHEV, they would make an amazing PHEV Ram 1500.

 

[patfromigh]

Ram Trucks should go with a PHEV. First of all, there is precious little supporting infrastructure out here in flyover country. One could drive a battery electric vehicle from Chicago to Minneapolis on the interstate highways, but going west from Minneapolis the charging network is very sparse. Second, there is a lot of room to pack batteries in an extended cab pickup truck. In today's market, a PHEV pickup truck will need a minimum of 100 kilometers of electric only range to be credible. (That is only my opinion. I don't have any hard data.) The Pacifica PHEV has great electric only performance for its mission. More range will mean more batteries, which will raise the cost.

Once the Wrangler PHEV details are revealed, from a credible source, then we can speculate if the rear drive based hybrid system is easily scalable to a Ram truck.

 

[GasAxe]

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The E Hummer will be placed in the GMC brand so I’ll give myself credit for calling that one.

The “engine” specs are annoyingly misrepresented. Using at the wheel torque is petty bull**** that I hope gets slapped down by truth in advertising advocates. Quit playing games GM and use SAE specs.

The horsepower number is going to be trickier when talking about electric vehicles. HP and range are interlocked to a much greater degree in EV’s so sure, you can promote insanely high HP in a vehicle meant for long range driving but you can only go fast or go far, not both. That feature will hasten the death of the ICE though. Tesla’s ludicrous speed setting will someday be available to every vehicle with the proper suspension and brakes. Same motor across the model lineup, just different suspension options and “how fast?” settings.