Hummer VS Warrior: Comparing USA And China's Civilian Humvees

General Motors' Hummer has a rocky 30-year history. The civilian version of the SUV was adapted from the military transport vehicles used in the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s and popularized by movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who owned several of the oversized gas-guzzling beasts. 

As gas prices rose and American consumers became more savvy about environmental concerns, GM gradually shrank the size of the Hummer with each new generation, and sales of the line peaked in 2006 at a little more than 71,000 units. 

The economic recession that followed hit GM hard, however, and the automaker filed for bankruptcy in mid-2009. The Hummer was discontinued soon after that and revived as an EV pickup for the 2022 model year. In the 1990s, when the Hummer was starting to take hold in the American marketplace, the Chinese government-owned manufacturer Dongfeng got to work reverse engineering the military version of the Hummer for the Chinese Army. 

In 2021, Dongfeng started production of their civilian version of the Hummer, the Warrior M50, which at first glance appeared to be a slightly more polished version of the early 1990s Hummer H1. 

The original M50 was powered by a 4.0-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine with 200 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. An H1 powered by the stock 6.6-liter Duramax V8 would have no trouble dragging an M50 around by the tail with its 300 horsepower and 520 lb-ft of torque.

The Warrior came with a five or six-speed manual transmission, while the H1 was equipped standard with an Allison 5-speed automatic gearbox.

Both vehicles boast a ground clearance of about 16 inches and impressive approach angles: 70 degrees for the M50 and 72 degrees for the H1. However, the Warrior has a slight advantage when heading back downhill, with a departure angle of 45 degrees versus 37.5 degrees for the H1. 

The interior of the Warrior is also a bit more driver and passenger-friendly than that of the H1, with air conditioning, power windows, and leather seats.

Both vehicles come with dual fuel tanks, but the combined capacity of the Warrior's tanks is just 31.7 gallons, while the H1 can carry 52.5 gallons in total.

Last year, Dongfeng leaked plans for an EV version of the Warrior powered by four electric motors with a combined output of more than 1,000 horsepower. GM has also announced some upcoming upgrades and new trim levels for the 2024 model year Hummer EV, which will boost output to as much as 1,000 horsepower with an optional 24-module battery pack. What's next from there is anyone's guess.