While the GMC Hummer EV is one of the more exciting vehicles, consumers are going to have a hard time finding the pickup truck. Reservations for the first Edition 1 models were gone within the first 10 minutes the pickup was revealed, forcing consumers that didn’t reserve one of the $112,595 (including destination) models to wait a few years before being able to pick up one of the more affordable versions that will be out in the future. Unfortunately, even when GMC introduces more affordable variants of the Hummer EV, consumers will have a hard time finding them, as not all GMC dealers will sell the electrified pickup truck.
According to Muscle Car and Trucks, approximately half of GMC dealers in the country will sell the Hummer EV pickup truck. “The market will be somewhat lower than a mass market vehicle, and that’s led to about half the dealer network agreeing to participate in selling Hummer EV,” Buick GMC VP Duncan Aldred told the outlet in an investor call.
One of the major reasons why GMC dealers aren’t interested in carrying the Hummer EV is because of its high price tag. The $112,595 Edition 1 is insanely expensive, while the more affordable EV2 that’s priced at $79,995 is still more than double the price of an average vehicle in the U.S. Some dealers, as the outlet points out, don’t have the customer base that would be interested in purchasing a vehicle that expensive. The fact that the Hummer EV is an electric vehicle makes it an even tougher sell.
Another reason for the decision is because all of the changes that dealerships will have to implement to sell the Hummer EV. Aldred stated that dealers will have to invest in “special tools,” special training, charging systems, and customer service training to properly sell and service the electric pickup. Since GMC doesn’t have an electric vehicle in its lineup, selling, servicing, and ensuring that consumers have a place to charge their pickup truck is a large departure from the norm.
GMC wants to ensure that customers that do have the funds and are interested in purchasing a Hummer EV are given some special treatment. That’s why customers will receive haggle-free pricing on the truck and won’t have to deal with markups. Unfortunately, that brings an issue – the Hummer EV won’t be eligible for special pricing or any discounts.
“We have to reimagine what the customer experience is gonna look like…Our objective here is that the prices you see on the internet…the price you see is the price you’ll play,” said Aldred. “Secondly, we’re working with our dealer partners to construct a dealer margin in such a fashion that is a ‘no-haggle’ price.”
Consumers purchasing a premium vehicle can expect to receive more choices, more hands-on help throughout the purchasing process, a direct contact to keep in touch with while the vehicle is being built, and any other type of benefit the automaker wants to include. For mainstream purchases, consumers head to a dealership, work with a salesman to find a model, and usually spend all day working out the financial part of the equation before taking the car home that day. Buying a premium vehicle is a lengthy process, possibly even taking months as automakers work out ways to give buyers exactly what they want with as little hassle as possible.