General Motors (GM) has opened its new advanced design studio in Pasadena, California, and used the occasion to show two GMC Hummer X electric vehicle (EV) concepts in truck and SUV form.
GM described the Hummer X as a concept study, built to explore fresh ideas in off-road EV design, flexible manufacturing and recyclable materials. The supplied text refers once to “Hummer X1”, but GM’s official release calls the vehicles GMC Hummer X truck and SUV concepts.
The Pasadena site covers about 13,750 sq m across three buildings and houses around 100 people working in design, sculpting, fabrication and related craft roles. GM said the studio can handle full-size clay modelling, fabrication and digital collaboration, with a focus on concept work rather than current showroom models.
It also extends GM’s long-running California design presence. The carmaker has had a permanent advanced design operation in Southern California since the 1980s, with past work ranging from experimental Corvette and Camaro projects to autonomous Cadillac concept studies.
GM vice-president of global design Bryan Nesbitt said Southern California’s mix of film, art, architecture, aerospace and technology helped shape how its designers think about future mobility.
The studio will now be led by Hussein Al Attar. He succeeds Brian Smith, who returns to the Chevrolet Corvette design team in Michigan after four years leading the Pasadena operation.
The Hummer X concepts are the more attention-grabbing part of the announcement. GM said they were created with its advanced engineering, manufacturing and Pasadena design teams, with off-road use built into the brief.
The concepts use a modular idea called FLEX FAB, described as a way to support small-batch, on-demand metal production without dedicated stamping tools. Visually, that gives the Hummer X a flatter, cleaner body with visible bolts and welded seams.
The off-road hardware list includes Goodyear tyres measuring 35 to 37 inches (about 889 mm to 940 mm), beadlock wheels, Multimatic shocks, removable fender flares and underbody protection.
GM also showed a Hummer HUB app idea, including a scout drone that could fly ahead, read trail conditions and dock back with the vehicle. The cabin uses stackable displays, while parts of the interior use recycled car fascias and mechanical fasteners to make future disassembly easier.
For now, the Hummer X is best seen as GM playing with a smaller electric off-roader idea, not quietly previewing a showroom model.
