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Two things we know about the new GMC Hummer EV: it’s all-electric and it’s born for off-roading. GMC is emphasizing both points by teaming with Chip Ganassi Racing on an Extreme E bid. A Hummer-inspired race car will tackle remote off-road race courses as it travels the world testing its mettle everywhere from the broiled sand of the Middle East to the icy permafrost of the Arctic.

GMC announced a multiyear sponsorship deal with Chip Ganassi Racing on Tuesday, outlining plans to bring a 550-hp Hummer-inspired electric racer to Extreme E, which kicks off in April. While the identities of other Extreme E participants, like Hispano Suiza, have been muted in building around the stock Extreme E car, the first look at the CGR car shows plenty of Hummer DNA shining through. The grille is styled and badged after the production truck, and the bodywork and graphics will also borrow from the soon-to-be production supertruck.

“Both GMC Hummer EV and the Extreme E series are designed to be revolutionary – to challenge perceptions of electric vehicles and to showcase their true capability,” says Jim Campbell, GM US VP of performance and motorsports.

Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price will take the wheel for CGR when the inaugural Extreme E series kicks off in Saudi Arabia on April 3. Each of the series’ five two-day stops will challenge racers with different styles of remote terrain. After the Desert X Prix in April, Extreme E will host the Ocean X Prix (Senegal) in May, the Arctic X Prix (Greenland) in August, the Amazon X Prix (Brazil) in October, and the Glacier X Prix (Patagonia) in December. The series will highlight how local environments have been impacted by climate change and emphasize how electric vehicle adoption can help lower harmful carbon emissions.

In the case of the Hummer EV, the production truck will be considerably more powerful than the race car. The 2022 Hummer EV will lack the slashed approach angle of the racer, but it will pack up to 1,000 furious horses of triple-motor e4WD power. GM is offering reservations for select trims now and will begin production this fall.

Source: GMC