What Happened to AM General, the Hummer’s Original Owner?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

AM General was the original producer of the Hummer. General built its stock of off-roaders for the military. As time went on, the company changed hands, and the Hummer brand was purchased by someone else. 

According to AM General, its company’s history goes back quite a ways to the days of horse-drawn wagons. Over the years, many changes have taken place, and today we see a brand-new version of the Hummer, which promises to bring many improvements to the table. 

The resurrected GMC Hummer 

Hummer | Getty Images

The GMC Hummer can come back to the market due to its EV powertrain. With the transition from gasoline-powered vehicles, the Hummer can now provide plenty of off-road capabilities without the damaging effects fuel has on the environment. 

While it still kept some of its original features, GMC modernized it and improved upon it as well. The new powertrain consists of three electric motors producing a combined 1,000 hp and 11,500 lb-ft of torque, unheard of in an SUV or any electric vehicle. 

You can expect 11.5-inches of ground clearance with this Hummer, but that’s not where it stops. Using the Extract mode, you can increase the gap between the ground and the underbelly of the vehicle to 15.9 inches. Giving you more room for crawling over uneven terrain. 

How did we get to this point?

It all began with the Studebaker company that opened its doors in 1852 in South Bend, Indiana as a horse-drawn wagon producer. In 1861, it landed its first wagon contract with the Army branch of the military. In 1902, Studebaker began producing automobiles but didn’t discontinue the wagon business until 1919. 

It would eventually be bought out by Kaiser-Jeep, which would sell its General Products division to American Motors, who renamed its company American General. By 1964, it had built over 112,000 heavy-duty trucks for the military. Humvees were produced in 1983 for a five-year contract, but they continued to sell them until 2012. The Hummer came into play around 1992, and it earned the moniker, “world’s most serious 4X4”. 

The Hummer was somewhat of a failure when released to the public in the early 1990s. The first generation was 16 feet long, seven feet tall, and seven feet wide, drank approximately a gallon of gas in less than 10 miles, acceleration time for a 7,500 lbs vehicle was terrible, it went from 0 to 60 mph in 18 seconds, and the price was $71,000. GMC bought out the Hummer brand in 1999 and released a slightly better version in 2002, but it still wasn’t quite up to snuff. 

What the 2024 GMC Hummer promises to deliver

We thought it was gone for good after GMC filed for bankruptcy and quit making the Hummer, but it appears that isn’t the case. The automaker brought it back to life and fixed one of the biggest problems it had before, which was its fuel economy. 

The 2024 model offers a 300-mile driving range with its new electric powertrain. If you opt for the Extreme off-road package, it will be much less, but still worth it. Acceleration time improved significantly. Before with the gas-powered model, it took almost 20 seconds, but with the EV version, a 0 to 60 mph run takes 3.5 seconds for the SUV and 3 seconds for the truck. 

As for cost, it’s still quite high at around $105,000 to start, but that’s for the Edition 1, so you might get by a little cheaper with the base model. When will we see it? It’s reportedly coming out toward the end of 2023. 

The Hummer has always been an iconic vehicle, despite being terrible to drive and keep fueled up. It looks like GMC has resurrected it to be a much better offering than what we’ve seen before. As for AM General, they haven’t given up yet. According to Defense News, KPS Capital Partners bought them out to save it from financial ruin, and it plans to make some big moves in the future. 

RELATED: How Efficient Is the GMC Hummer EV Pickup Battery?

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These 2021 Pickup Trucks Have Such Poor Fuel Economy, You Might as Well Set a Landfill On Fire

by Gabrielle DeSantis

If you care about the environment and you want a pickup truck, you should probably wait for the Tesla Cybertuck to come out. Most pickup trucks these days have terrible fuel economy, and there isn’t much of a push to change things. In fact, the fuel economy on most trucks is so bad, you might as well just set a landfill on fire. If you have your heart set on a pickup anyway, here are some pickup trucks with poor fuel economy to beware of. 

2021 Toyota Tundra | Toyota

The 2021 Ford F-150’s fuel economy is the best of the pickup trucks with poor fuel economy, but that’s not saying much

The 2021 Ford F-150 only gets a 2 for fuel economy, according to Consumer Reports, but that’s double any of the other trucks on this list. It gets 19mpg and costs roughly $1,545 annually in fuel. 

The F-150’s greenhouse gas rating is a 4, while the smog rating is a 6.

The 2021 Chevy Silverado’s fuel economy is so bad, you might as well just dump gas on the ground

It’s not a good idea to dump gas on the ground, but it’s not much different from driving the 2021 Chevy Silverado. The Silverado’s fuel economy is also a 1/5, and it gets 17mpg. The estimated annual fuel costs for the Silverado are $1,715. 

The greenhouse gas rating for the Silverado is a 3, and the smog rating is also a 5. 

The 2021 Ram 1500’s fuel economy isn’t much better

The fuel economy for the 2021 Ram 1500 is also a 1. You’ll get as many mpg as the Silverado, if that makes you feel better. Still, you’d have to recycle a whole bunch of cardboard boxes to negate that much damage.

The annual cost for the Ram is $1,695. The greenhouse gas rating is a 3, and the smog rating is a 5. Don’t breathe too deeply while driving the Ram.

The 2021 Toyota Tundra his the worst of the pickup trucks with poor fuel economy

With a fuel economy rating of 1/5, the 2021 Toyota Tundra only gets 15 mpg in Consumer Reports test. Its projected annual cost for gas is about $1,970. This is based on an estimated 12,000 miles of driving annually. The fuel capacity for the Tundra is 26.4 gallons. 

The greenhouse gas rating for the 2021 Toyota Tundra is only a 1/5. The smog rating is a 5/10. Driving the Tundra seems like it might not be much better than heading to your local landfill and lighting as much plastic as you can on fire, then dancing around the flames while laughing at Mother Earth. 

If you like the planet – or at least don’t want to die in a cloud of carbon monoxide, you might want to consider whether there are greener options than any of these pickup trucks with poor fuel economy. Of course the Tesla Cybertruck will be here soon, and there’s also the Rivian R1T. Both of these alternatives are much greener than the Silverado, Ram and Tundra. If you do buy one of these fuel-powered pickup trucks, maybe balance things out by turning off all the lights in your house for the next year or two.

RELATED: 5 Ways the Tesla Cybertruck Is Like Doctor Who’s Cybermen

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk Claims Company ‘Would Die’ Without Him

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Few days pass when Tesla CEO Elon Musk isn’t making headlines or at least tweeting about them. Between not seemingly caring if the Cybertruck flops and finally acknowledging that full self-driving isn’t all that easy, Musk doesn’t appear to care what people might think of him or, by extension, Tesla. It’s an interesting duality because he also seems to believe Tesla would “die” if he left. Would the EV maker really wither if Musk departed?

As far as Elon Musk is concerned, any press is good press

Tesla CEO Elon Musk | Scott Olson/Getty Images

By being trailblazers in electric vehicles, Musk and Tesla frequently make headlines, often for positive reasons. Tesla recently struck a massive deal in Texas to provide Powerwalls and Solar Roofs for new housing, working to provide clean energy beyond the automotive market. And they’ve also reportedly found a way to extract lithium on a more economically feasible basis using table salt, for which the company recently filed a patent. 

But for all the positive headlines, there are often as many negative ones. Tesla’s Autopilot, or full self-driving mode, pops up quite a bit, either due to delays in technology — which owners pay for but can’t use — or to instances of drivers abusing the function, like the guy who posts pictures of him riding in the back seat of his Tesla, with no driver, getting arrested and then buying another Tesla and doing it again.  

Even if the press is about a lawsuit 

Musk’s bold statement about Tesla ceasing to exist without him came during testimony about Tesla’s acquisition in 2016 of SolarCity. According to Reuters, the lawsuit alleges Musk strongarmed the company’s board to purchase SolarCity, of which he was chairman and was also founded by his cousins. Shareholders believe it was less of a buyout or acquisition and more of a bailout for the investment Musk made in the company. However, he claims that he did not gain anything from it because it was a “stock-for-stock” transaction and that he owned roughly the same amount of stock in both companies. 

The Drive reports that during his testimony, Musk said he did not particularly like being CEO but had to stay in that position because, otherwise, “frankly, Tesla is going to die.” He apparently prefers designing and engineering and his self-awarded “Technoking of Tesla” title — which, Musk agrees, generated free press for Tesla, even if the board did not vet the title. 

For Tesla, Musk is like a pendulum that swings between good and bad

There is no doubt Musk has been a driving force in propelling Tesla forward in terms of profits and leading the EV industry. On occasion, Musk has also undoubtedly been a driving force for Tesla in the wrong direction. Because of his eccentricity and tendency toward tantrums, Musk has earned a controversial reputation, which could tarnish Tesla’s image because he’s synonymous with the brand. 

As far as the current lawsuit, after Musk’s testimony, other board members will testify, and it will likely be several months before a ruling is reached. If Musk loses, he could face paying damages around $2.6 billion, which, even for one of the world’s wealthiest people, isn’t exactly chump change. And even if he wins, it likely won’t be the last lawsuit he faces, and it almost certainly won’t be the last time Musk and Tesla are in the press, for good or bad. 

If Elon Musk is nothing else, he is consistent. Maybe a little (a lot) narcissistic. But he is consistent. Whether or not that will ultimately benefit or kill Tesla remains to be seen. We will have to wait to see which way the pendulum swings next.

RELATED: People Buy Tesla EVs Despite Elon Musk, Survey Says

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Does Indian Motorcycle’s New 2022 Chief Hold Up?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Fans of the Indian Chief are delighted to learn that its 100th anniversary is here. Very few vehicles have made it this far, and Indian is celebrating by releasing the 2022 Indian Chief. Does this latest edition hold up to the previous iterations that have helped it survive for 100 years? You better believe it.

100 years of greatness

Indian Motorcycle, maker of the 2022 Indian Chief | Getty Images

The original Indian Chief made its debut in 1921. Indian Motorcycles states, “Designed by the legendary Charles Franklin, the dirt track racer and engineer who also dreamed up the Scout, the Chief had a 61-cubic-inch V-twin, dual cams, a low seat, and graceful lines. Riders loved its reliable power, formidable torque, and agile frame, and the bike quickly gained fans around the world.”

The Chief would later play a huge role in helping boost post-war bike racing after WWII. It was known as one of the most fun bikes to customize, which helped fuel the appeal for the Chief.  

The 2022 Indian Chief is better than ever

When many manufacturers do a redesign, they try to keep a few hints of the old while making the vehicle look new. It’s more like a nod to the past while emphasizing where it’s at right now.

Indian didn’t go that route with the 2022 Indian Chief. There are still enough elements from the original bike to know that you’re looking at an Indian Chief at a glance. The steel frame isn’t fancy or frilly, the stance is still compact, and the 64-inch wheelbase is the same. 

The exhaust pipes and seats are larger and give the Chief a tough look and make it more comfortable than its predecessors, which is perfect for this timeless bike. Other modern features include full LED lights, keyless ignition, cruise control, and super-stick Pirelli Night Dragon tires, which look just as cool as they sound. All the modern tweaks are carefully hidden, so the Chief doesn’t look like a completely different bike.

Most Indian Chief lovers will appreciate that this is a bike designed for customization. While some manufacturers cringe at the idea of their vehicles being tweaked, Indian urges its riders to do so. For those who want their bike to be an extension of themselves, you can’t go wrong with a 2022 Indian Chief.

What do the critics have to say?

When you want the real story on how well a new bike will do, you don’t listen to the automaker; you go to the critics. They’re the ones who have nothing to lose by being upfront, while the manufacturer has to put the best spin on things. From looking at the reviews on the Chief, however, one thing is clear: Indian didn’t brag enough.

Motorcycle.com couldn’t stop complimenting the new Chief. One point of the review that was extremely impressive was the departure from the aluminum frame and the way Chief embraced the original steel frame. 

Another factor that Motorcycle liked was the wide range of choices. There’s the base trim called the Chief, which starts at $14,999. The next trim level is the Chief Bobber which at $15,999. The highest trim level is the Chief Dark Horse at $16,999.

Each has a wide range of accessories offered by Indian, making customization easier than ever. While the Chief is designed to be a solo rider, you can opt for 2-up accessory options on each trim.

No matter which trim you decide to go with, you’re sure to be in for a fun ride. The 2022 Chief continues to deliver on all the fun features the original Chief stood for and will doubtlessly continue to for many years to come. 

RELATED: Indian Is Creating New Technology to Make Riding a Motorcycle at Night Safer

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