An American invasion is imminent – only this time the only force involved will be in Newton metres in the engine bays of iconic American SUVs, Pickup Trucks and Muscle cars converted to right-hand drive by Autogroup International and now available to local buyers.
Rob Hill, CEO at Autogroup International tells me the company – which has already supplied some vehicles into South Africa – is in the process of finalising an import and distribution deal with a local company.
“In the meanwhile, we have just launched the right-hand drive Hummer EV SUV and we already have a number of factory orders that will be heading to South Africa! The iconic Hummer EV SUV is simply stunning, blisteringly fast and an EV!
Right-hand drive Hummer
“We also have a right-hand drive GMC Yukon Denali with Private Jet style ‘CEO Interior’, which comes also as an optional B6 Armoured vehicle able to withstand machine gun fire and a hand grenade attack!”
Autogroup International is based in Sri Lanka and, for the past 30-years has specialised in the left-hand drive to right-hand drive conversion of American vehicles and has, in that time, converted some 4 500 vehicles and operates under a strict ISO 9001:2015 Quality Assurance standard with government approvals to export our converted vehicles to 40 countries.
“We have an incredible range of right-hand drive muscle cars such as the Dodge Challenger and Chev Camaro and a huge range of right-hand drive pickup trucks from Ford, RAM, Toyota and GMC,” says Hill.
The iconic Hummer is instantly recognisable and the new right hand drive Hummer EV SUV is back after a 13-year absence as a powerful EV with up to 618 kW, zero emissions, 0-100 km/h in 3,5 seconds and a range of 500 kilometres.
The Hummer EV Edition 1, Hummer EV 2 (2 motors) and Hummer EV 3 (3 motors) will all be converted to right-hand drive with features including the Infinity Roof, Watts to Freedom acceleration, Super Cruise, Ultium battery, Regen on Demand, one-pedal driving, crabwalk and extract modes plus Ultravision with its 17x cameras.
“Our right-hand drive Hummer EV SUV’s are already in production and build on our success with the Ford F-150 Lightning EV pickup truck.
“The right-hand drive Hummer EV SUV by Autogroup International, delivers the iconic Hummer design for the modern EV age into all right-hand drive countries worldwide and is backed by Autogroup’s global total vehicle warranty support for the entire vehicle, ISO Quality Assurance and compliance. The Hummer EV SUV is guaranteed to stand out from the crowd.”
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Yukon Denali
The GMC Yukon Denali XL and the GMC Sierra 2500 HD in right-hand Drive were specifically selected due to their already high-performance engines, heavy duty design and vehicle size. These vehicles are then transformed with our B6 Armouring protection and our unique private jet style luxurious CEO interiors.
“The Launch of our right-hand drive private jet style CEO Luxury interior and Armoured GMC Yukon Denali SUV and right-hand drive Armoured GMC Sierra Pickup trucks into the South African market is the first time discerning South African consumers can access the luxury, safety and performance of these vehicles,” says Hill.
The bespoke CEO interior package offers a comprehensive and luxurious retrofit of the entire rear passenger cabin by removing the existing middle and rear seats and features a 4,5-inch raised roof with starlight headliner, a full privacy divider with 40-inch HD TV, premium Maybach-style reclining captain’s chairs, Sonos sound system, global 5G communications, emergency strobe lights and quality, handmade interior trim materials plus many more features.
CEO interior
The Chairman is a right-hand drive Armoured GMC Yukon Denali XL discreetly armoured to B6 (EN 1063 BR6) level of all round ballistic protection from 7,62 mm ammunition and up to 2 (two) DM51 hand grenades detonated underneath the vehicle simultaneously. Designed, engineered, and manufactured to ISO 9001:2015 Quality Assurance standards it features B6 Armour protection with full wrap around body armour, run flat tyres, bulletproof glass, reinforced suspension and brakes.
The Centurian is a 2024 right-hand drive Armoured GMC Sierra 2500 Heavy Duty Denali pickup truck discreetly armoured to B6 (EN 1063 BR6) level of all round ballistic protection with full wrap around body armour, run flat tyres and bulletproof glass.
“Powered by either the 6,6-litre petrol engine developing 313 kW or the 6,6-litre Duramax Turbo Diesel engine with a 10-speed Allision automatic transmission; this armoured heavy duty pickup truck redefines quality, performance, and protection,” adds Hill.
Colin Windell
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