‘I’m Getting Very Nervous About the Hummer’: GM Salesman Says He’s Having a Hard Time Moving EVs. It’s Not Just Him
'The problem isn’t the look, size, or that it’s EV.'
A car sales rep documented the difficulties he was facing while attempting to sell a Hummer EV.
Patrick K. (@patrickkreallysells) uploaded a series of vidoes detailing the struggles dealers have in general trying to move fully electrified vehicles off the lot. In one of the first videos regarding his Hummer EV chronicles, he says that while consumers are often intrigued with the features electric cars boast, many are afraid to take the plunge. “A lot of people are still hesitant to take that move because they don’t know enough information about how EVs… actually work.”
Consequently, he says that sales reps need to be “on [their] game…[and] know all the information” about these vehicles to help customers feel more confident about potentially buying one.
This is a recurring issue prospective EV buyers have griped about online. This Redditor who posted to the site’s r/electricvehicles sub wrote that “every car dealer either knows nothing about EVs or is trying to trick you.” In their diatribe against clueless and/or dishonest car salesmen, they included an anecdote about one Hyundai dealership in Connecticut. According to the Reddit user, an employee at the business asked them to effectively “defraud the IRS” by applying for a federal tax rebate on an EV that retailed for above $50,000. Furthermore, they said they showed the dealer IRS paperwork, which indicated they would, in fact, not qualify for the rebate. Despite this, the dealership still advertised that its electric vehicles were eligible for this subsidy.
EV Sales
In another clip, Patrick shared that there was a potential buyer interested in the truck, but she was hesitant about going all electric. Moreover, the seller said that she was being dissuaded by her friends from acquiring the Hummer, and there was still the issue of financing the ride. He tells his audience that he hopes he did a good enough job of breaking down all of the car’s “positives.” Which, again, speaks to some of the difficulties auto dealers have encountered in putting folks behind the wheels of electric cars.
Software business CDK Global writes that “dealerships should always approach EV sales difficulty” in a blog post on its company website. The same piece recommends some key tips sales teams can implement when it comes to moving folks into electric vehicles. First, CDK says that “tak[ing] friction out of the home-charging installation and user experience” could be a big plus for buyers.
By detailing ways customers can have level 2 home charging setups at their houses, those interested in EV ownership can feel more confident about powering their vehicle. Additionally, dealers could strike partnerships with local electricians, or ask basic questions regarding home charging potential, to better equip buyers.
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The Hummer EV Sale
In yet another one of Patrick’s videos about the Hummer EV, he records himself walking up to the vehicle. And judging by the captions appended to the clip, he appears to be losing faith that he’ll be able to move it. “All right update…the Hummer is still here. She hasn’t picked it up yet. Still saying she wants it. Everybody in the dealership was giving me crap about it. My manager keeps saying is it gonna go? What’s going on? We only can see, I hope,” he says.
“I’m getting very nervous about the Hummer.,” he adds.
When the Hummer EV debuted, some customers paid astronomically high prices for it well above MSRP. After fervent demand for the truck went down and the 2022 gas crisis subsided, Hummer EV prices sharply declined. Which left some buyers in mounds of debt, like this one person who tried to trade his truck in. However, doing so would’ve left him around $90,000 in the hole.
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And while no one’s paying $324,500 for a Hummer EV as of this writing, $75,000 is still a lot of money to spend on a car for most folks. So not only does Patrick have to worry about the interested Hummer EV shopper making the jump to an all-electric car, there’s also the matter of someone weighing whether or not they want to drop that much cash on a vehicle, period.
However, in a follow-up video, Patrick informs viewers that the customer indeed pulled through and purchased the massive GM EV. He wrote in the TikTok’s description that the buyer was enamored with the vehicle and his narration captures the relief he felt when the transaction was underway. “This Hummer is actually sold. It’s going in another five minutes. She’s in the box signing it up. She loves it…getting a nice black onyx Hummer,” Patrick can be heard saying off camera.
And in yet another clip, he records the car’s new owner driving off in the EV, waving to the camera as she does so.
Hummer EV Backlash
One of the reasons why Hummer EV prices have fallen so severely could be attributed to perceptions surrounding the car. Popular auto-enthusiast and online personality Doug DeMuro speculated that the ride is a dichotomy on four wheels. “Ultimately, the problem with the Hummer EV is that people who buy vehicles that look like this don’t want an electric car. And people who want an electric car don’t want a vehicle that looks like this,” he penned on Facebook.
In the comments section of his post, several other users on the app shared concerns with regards to the vehicle’s build quality. “The problem with it is that it is a really terrible vehicle. Some people think it looks cool but nobody will think it is cool when it is broken down on the side of the road,” one remarked.
Another said, “The problem isn’t the look, size or that it’s EV. The problem is GM, who aren’t able to build reliable [internal combustion engine] suvs, never mind electric.”
And there have been buyers who’ve purchased the vehicle who’ve shared their gripes with it. Like this one person who said they had trouble activating the Hummer EV’s “super cruise” functionality.
Some said that despite the vehicle’s rugged looks that it’s “terrible in ice and snow.” And there were at least two folks who called owning the vehicle a “nightmare” in separate online posts here and here.
InsideEVs has reached out to Patrick via TikTok comment for further information.
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