vIn less than 10 years, Hummer experienced a meteoric rise and equally stunning fall, the victim of escalating gas prices, growing concern for the environment and a general backlash against brutish vehicles that weren’t suited for the suburban life they led. You can still find pockets of enthusiasts who revere the brand and the trucks they made, but for the most part nobody pines for these slab-sided, slat-fronted off-roaders of yore. Strangely, a decade after GM shut the marque shut down after failing to find a buyer, interest seems to be percolating once again.

Could a world coming to grips with global warming be ready for a revival of the poster child for gas-guzzling, climate-changing vehicles? Strangely, it just might be. Here’s why.

SUVs Are Hotter Than Ever

You don’t have to look any farther than the next lane to confirm SUVs and crossovers are taking over. The higher driving position and a misplaced sense of adventure add up to magnetism that’s hard to resist. Fortunately, with recent advances in engineering and manufacturing, larger vehicles no longer have the same efficiency penalties they once did, meaning there’s less pain at the pump – and less damage to the environment.

Manufacturers would have to be blind not to notice and act on this trend. Ford has canceled all cars except the Mustang. GM is discontinuing the Impala, Cruz, Volt, CT6, XTS, and ATS. VW is killing the Alltrack wagon. And the march of SUVs has even reached the ultra-luxury market: Lamborghini, Bentley, Maserati, and Ferrari have SUVs in-market or on the way.

Then, there’s Jeep. Sales were just a few boulder-strewn trails away from 1,000,000 units in 2018. Given all that, Hummer, a known niche brand that backed up the S in SUV with real off-road capabilities doesn’t look so silly right about now.

Oil Prices Will Likely Stay Low

SUV popularity took a hit when oil rocketed past $100 a barrel a dozen years ago, but that was a different time – and those were much less efficient vehicles than we have today. We’re not likely to see that kind of spike any time soon because even though geopolitical events can still rock the oil market and drive up gas prices, they can’t have the same impact they once did. Directional drilling and fracking have released billions of gallons of crude around the world, taking the emphasis off the Middle East. At close to 19 million barrels of oil per day, the U.S. is now the largest oil producer in the world – and has been for about 8 years. Russia, China, Canada, and Mexico are also high-volume producers, blunting the impact of OPEC nations.

The world economy also plays an important role in oil prices. When growth is high, there’s more competition for natural resources. So, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) report that the 2020 world economic outlook is for a manufacturing downturn signals lower oil consumption. That will also help keep prices at the pump down. And, obviously, low gas prices lead to sales of less fuel-efficient vehicles. Another point in favor of a Hummer relaunch.

Hummer Was Niche, But Popular

Hummers were never mass-market, selling just 73,526 vehicles in their biggest year. But they had street cred: the marque was born from a highly capable military vehicle. It was the ride of choice for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lebron James, and David Beckham. And it enjoyed cameos in countless music videos.

And here’s an interesting thought. 73,000 vehicles a year may not sound like much when compared to popular vehicles today (Ford F150: 909,330, Toyota Rav4: 427,170, Nissan Rogue: 412,110), but compared to the entire MINI lineup (43,684 vehicles) it was going gangbusters.

If Hummer could be repositioned as a Global Warming hero, rather than the villain it was before, it might just succeed. Which is why there’s real hope for the brand.

Rumors Call For Hummer Re-Birth As An Upscale Electric

Sure, it’s just a rumor. But this makes a lot of sense for GM. They’re already working on the BEV3 (Battery Electric Vehicle) platform for Cadillac, which can power FWD, RWD or AWD vehicles. What doesn’t make sense is a Cadillac off-road vehicle. So there’s room for some Hummers to be dropped on the AWD version of BEV3.

Tesla also helps this argument. They’ve proven EVs will sell to wealthy buyers if the styling and performance are there. GM has the engineering ability and deep pockets it’ll take to develop another upscale marque. They just need a design that will appeal.

Take a look at the Hummer HX concept from 2008 (above). Now picture it as an electric vehicle with decent range and off-road capabilities, and a comfortable interior. That’s a slam dunk for a reborn, revitalized, green take of a former icon.

GM is used to taking gambles, but this barely feels like one. And besides, America loves a good comeback.