Thoughts 21 Feb 2008 01:14 pm
Hummer
H1:
In 1992, AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Hum-Vee) vehicle to the public under the brand name “Hummer”.
They revamped the vehicle with a more powerful engine and new tranny in 2006. That same year GM pulled support for the H1. Either they thought it would interfere with their emissions numbers or would cut into the sales of the new H2/H3s.
This is a new H3.
It’s pretty, but it still only gets about 13mpg if you drop it off a cliff and in spite of the ads, I doubt that one of these will go the kinds of places the old H1 would go.
The H3 is built in Shreveport, LA alongside the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups. –Unlike the H1, which is a true off-road vehicle the H2 and H3 are just SUVs.
After the first major improvements to the H1, GM discontinued a functional, street legal, off road vehicle, and turned their attention to building a Yuppiemobile.
There are about a billion SUVs out there, but nothing that can compete with the original Hummer. So logically, GM discontinued support for a potential money maker and moved in to an overcrowded and dwindling market.
But what do I know?
Anybody who can afford to lose the kind of money GM is losing has to be way smarter than I am.