GMC is teasing an announcement on May 15 that appears to be a new feature. The trailer video calls the Hummer EV “King of the Off-Road” and shows the electric SUV doing donuts in the snow. The Hummer EV currently offers four-wheel steering and a Crab Walk feature that allows it to drive diagonally. However, GM recently requested a trademark for King Crab to cover electronic steering systems on motorized land vehicles.
King of the Off-Road
The teaser video also shows a crab logo above the King of the Off-Road title, which appears to have a crown on top. It’s not clear what this new feature is, but it’s possible that it’s similar to the Donut Mode on the AWD Dodge Charger Daytona. This feature disables the traction control and sends power solely to the rear wheels.
GMC might be hinting at that with the donut video and the King Crab logo. However, there’s no additional information ahead of the May 15 release date, and it’s hard to believe that’s the only function of this special designation. The vehicle’s exterior design appears the same, so it’s unlikely that there’s anything new there.
The first Hummer EV trucks came out in late 2021, but production didn’t really reach high volumes until last year, when nearly 14,000 SUVs and trucks from the Hummer line were delivered to GMC dealerships. That was about 3,200 more than in 2023.
Competing with the Tesla Cybertruck
The lowest price Hummer EV pickup that you’ll likely see at your GMC dealership is just under $99,000. GMC initially said it would introduce some lower-priced models with fewer features for just under $80,000. The Hummer EV pickup mostly competes with the Cybertruck in the increasingly outrageous electric truck segment, and it now has an advantage as sales of the Tesla monstrosity have started going down.
GMC may be positioning the Hummer EV pickup to be king of the charts by debuting a new feature and new badging. We probably won’t know more until the announcement in mid-May, but that doesn’t stop the internet from being awash in speculation.
What is the Crab Walk?
While we’re waiting, let’s explore what exactly the crab walk is and why GMC is highlighting it as a feature of the Hummer EV. The crab walk feature is a four-wheel steering system as opposed to the traditional front-wheel steering system. In the latter, the front wheels turn and the rear wheels follow. In the four-wheel system, both front and rear wheels turn.
Four-wheel steering allows diagonal movement, meaning that the rear wheels turn at a similar angle to the front wheels at up to 10 degrees. Instead of moving in a straight line, the vehicle moves diagonally like a crab. You can see the crab walk feature in action during the GMC Hummer EV commercials. It typically shows the SUV “crab walking” into a tight urban parking space.
The Crab Walk mode can be activated by holding the button for 4-Wheel Steering until a Crab Walk Ready message appears on the display. An orange crab symbol also appears. The crab walk feature is meant to be used only at low speeds.
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