The only part of the pickup shown in the commercial is a new version of the traditional seven-slot Hummer grille. It’s illuminated with “Hummer” spelled out across the grille and a smaller GMC brand mark below it on the driver’s side. GMC will reveal the pickup May 20 in Las Vegas, the spokesman said.
The automaker previewed the Super Bowl spot by releasing four videos on Thursday that include scenes from the ad. None of them include James, but a GM representative confirmed to Ad Age that James would appear in the ad.
The automaker had planned to release the full ad this week, but opted to hold off in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s death Sunday in a helicopter crash. James was close to Bryant and considered him a brother. In an Instagram post following news of Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash on Sunday, James wrote that he was “heartbroken and devastated” by the news. “Out of respect for this week’s news and all those involved, we are holding the full ad until game day,” A GM spokeswoman told Ad Age, an affiliate of Automotive News.
GM discontinued the Hummer brand in 2010, shortly after its bankruptcy restructuring. Hummer sales in the U.S. peaked in 2006 at more than 71,000 vehicles before plummeting in subsequent years as gas prices surged.
