www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=6676



The Hummer brand may be getting a bit nicer - at least that's the message General Motors Corp., which owns the rights to develop and sell Hummer consumer vehicles, will be sending next month as it unveils its next Hummer concept, a small pickup dubbed H3T, at the 2004 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show.

The show opens to media on January 2 in Los Angeles and General Motors will use the show to present its heftiest brand's future direction, as seen through the lens of a scaled-down concept. Although just a concept, Ed Welburn, General Motors North American vice president of design, says the H3T represents a "youthful, smaller, more affordable" direction than today's Hummer.

Clay Dean, design director for Hummer, describes the brand's next step even more aggressively, saying the H3T is "a little more environmentally responsible" than what the brand is known for. Unlike Hummer's current vehicle lineup, which includes the Hummer H1 originally built for the military, and its smaller counterpart H2, the H3T - unveiled to media Tuesday - is built on a compact pickup-truck frame, is drastically smaller, sports an in-line-five turbocharged engine with 350 hp and, as a result, could get upwards of 22 miles per gallon, according to General Motors officials.

A vehicle similar to the H3T, called simply H3, is expected to be available from General Motors in 2005 and, although Dean is unwilling to say whether it will be pickup or sport-utility-vehicle, it will be "obviously a HUMMER in its appearance and capabilities."

Uncertain future?

Analysts, however, aren't so sure that GM will have a hit on its hands simply by slapping a Hummer nameplate on a vehicle's grille. "It's all about prestige," says Marty Bernstein, a marketing consultant and principal of Marty Bernstein, Inc. in Troy, Mich. He says the key to Hummer's recent success is the exclusivity that comes along with owning an expensive and oversized vehicle. "There comes a point when a vehicle is too affordable. Look at Mercedes-Benz after it started offering a car for under $30,000 in the U.S. market. It lost market share in the luxury sector in the end. It's like Tiffany's selling cubic zirconium. It just doesn't work."

Dean counters, saying that the H3T and the vehicle that will eventually spawn from the concept will continue to be top line in amenities and off-road functionality, even if it is smaller and more affordable. In addition to an exterior strikingly like the H2, Dean points to features like satin aluminum trimmed interior components, an inclinometer and altimeter embedded in the instrument panel, and a DVD camera placed in the hood to record driving experiences, saying such things will "telegraph a new philosophy of elegance that will becomes an icon."

Another iconic trait of the Hummer brand in recent years has been the onslaught of environmental criticism that has followed its rise in the United States since the introduction of the H2 in 2001. Although the turbodiesel H1 can achieve a respectable 17 mpg on the highway, the H2 claims a top fuel number of 12 mpg and much lower numbers in everyday driving, and that has made that vehicle a prime target for SUV critics.

Brendan Bell, the global warming conservation assistant for the Sierra Club, a California-based environmental lobby, says that General Motors will have to do a lot more than simply saying the next HUMMER will be "not as bad as the H1 or H2."

"General Motors is traditionally behind," he says, referring to making serious gains in fuel economy. "I don't think Americans would believe that a Hummer is a more efficient vehicle," regardless of the improvement. Bell says that Ford Motor Co. has proven it can get between 35 and 40 mpg out of conventional powertrain Ranger pickups and criticizes General Motors for not bringing similar technology to market in a concept it touts as more environmentally friendly. For now, he says, "GM suggesting that a HUMMER is good for the environment is like suggesting milkshakes help people lose weight."

Hummer, what a joke.  

Anyway, a inclinometer and altimeter in the dash is nothing new.  They were standard equipment on Toyota 4runner SR5's in the 80's. Mine has one. The DVD camera in the hood will never make it to production.

You can bet that is one 75,000 dollar truck that will never see a scratch in the bed.[:)]

slim fast has milkshakes.................FUCK YOU SIERRA CLUB.  fuck you.  really.  in fact, i plan to waste as much gas as possible on the way home, hopefully turning my 9.5MPG big block chevrolet into a 7MPG chevrolet big block.  that hummer is an ugly son of a bitch but its my damn right to have one if i can afford it.

once again, fuck you, fuck you very much sierra club, you nosey ass pointy headed loser sonsofbitches no life motherfuckers knob polishing shit for brains dumbass steaming piles of shit pillow biting cant mind your own fucking business know better than everybody else dipshit lowlife candy assed monkey mounting ball sucking mentally handicapped tree hugging stupid ass no fucking clue pole smoking hypocrite ass pirate assclown asshat bastards

stay out of my damn business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (or else ill have to really lay into you)

You know, it's really not healthy to hold back your feelings like that. Gives ya ulcers. Tell us how you really feel.

DAMN Tex! [lol]

You taking lessons from The_Macallan?  All you need is the formatting and icons and you're there.

The hummer was done when they came out with the H2.


BISHOP

When the brand's cachet fades, so does the resale value – which means that you'll be able to pick up a used H2 in a few years for pennies on the dollar.

it has auto drive that takes you to rest stops...

[size=6]BECAUSE IT'S SO GAY!!![/size=6]

I think it had potential - if they don't try to keep it a yuppy truck (like the H2 - and instead market it to people who want a real truck - and are willing to pay for it.  I see the niche as like the Jeep Wrangler crowd that has more money and can appreciate the storage space.  I could easily see Wrangler owners getting this kind of a truck as an "upgrade" - right now the only real option is a Toyota Tacoma - and a shitload of time and money has to go into it after-market.

The earlier Hummers were too large to be practical on any trails, etc. and were just too heavy (who needs a 1.25 ton truck?) - this one may just fit the bill.  Extend the cab a bit - keep the design focused on durability and ruggedness - not appearance - and I just may want one.

And your point is? [:D]




[devil]

A battering ram nose and no bumper....lovely. Pedestrians will go right under that thing.

This is another wannabe hummer marketed to the yuppy crowd. Who are happy to trade real off road preformance for a (looks like It can perform) "cute ute"

Im not saying that the H2 cant preform off road but in my opinon they traded in WAY to much preformance (compared to H1) for looks.

If they came out with somthing smaller that the H1 that is a no frills "all the money was spent on offroad preformance" rig that was at least somewhat affordable say 30-40k I think it would sell.
And while Not everyone needs an H1 has no equal for what it was designed to do IMO.
The main things they missed in the H2 was the H1s ultra high GC and Axle design and the low gears.

The damn H2 looks like it was Inflated not assembled!

Ummm, hummer? Pickup?

IBTL[banana]

are you ok tex?, you have been a little edgy lately..., me too, but i really do like it more than the H2

Damn thing's even uglier than the H2.

Damn, Tex, don't candy coat it-tell us how ya REALLY feel.




BTW, I wouldn't mind owning one. Looks kinda cool to me. Wonder if they'll offer a diesel version. My company needs a delivery vehicle.[devil]

I think turbochargers for REAL off-road vehicles is stupid. RPM's need to be high to get boost.

I'd rather have all my power up front as in:

SUPERCHARGER BABY!

I'd hit it!
...with a CAT D9

they shouldnt stand in front of it then, problem solved

The coolest truck is still the M-715...
go to M715zone.com

Err... This isn't what I'd call "performing"

[lol]

[url]http://flymeaway.net/video/killedit.avi[/url]

That probaly would be a pretty good to great off road performer.  The "lack" of bumpers make for great approach and departure angles.  Good ground clearance and big tires too.  I'd love to have one.

It should be turbo diesel,  but they can save it, since the goddamn thing is so fugly.

I "second" the opinion of a turbodiesel.  I don't think they'll have a problem selling.  Anyone who ever loved playing with Tonka trucks will want one.

Hey, not only are you entitled to do exactly as you please, with that attitude, you also get the added bonus of further empowering OPEC!! Hell, while you're at it, shoot for 3mpg...let's really do everything we can to increase our dependance on the Arab worlds only commoditiy. Outstanding!!!
[img]www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh/sanders/cartoons/world/arab_oil.jpg[/img]

Dude - if they had us by the balls like your cartoon implies. you would have to assume:

1)  That there is some sort of solidarity in the "Arab World."

2)  That the fact that we ignored protests from all but ONE Arab country (Kuwait) and JUST INVADED AND OCCUPIED a member of OPEC for PISSING US OFF was all just figment of our collective imagination!  

Get a clue.  I could see putting France an Germany up there - but we got all the oil we need right here in the good ol' USA - but why use it when it is available on the world market from someone else's wells?