It doesn't look good for Hummer these days and GM is talking about killing the brand. That's a shame, I really mean that! I'm known for being a GMI troll that loves to shoot GM in the foot, but there has to be another option. The chunky and bloated look of Hummer needs a new eco-friendly edge. Just because Hummer is inspired by military vehicles, doesn't mean it has to be big and clunky. Our military does use lightweight All-Terrain Vehicles for Special Opps. The Army is also working on a Hybrid Jeep that uses fuel cells. I'm talking about something smaller than an H3 or H4. I'm talking about H5 and H6. How about a production sand-rail type vehicle. Maybe a Four passenger Off-Road vehicle the size of a Honda Civic with a turbo Eco-Tech. You tell me.....
Can GMI Desigers Turn Hummer Around?
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IMO producing a vehicle the size of a Civic would severely diminish Hummer's brand equity. Hummer had it's peak back in the early part of this decade when people were not as consciencious about fuel consumption. Most who had been in the market for a Hummer could care less about MPG anyway. However a recent shift in the economy and fuel prices have changed perception significantly. Is there a possibility GM could save Hummer....maybe but I think it would mean revamping the brand to take on the likes of Jeep which would mean designing and engineering a whole new range of smaller more fuel efficient trucks. I'm not sure it would be worth it considering the massive undertaking GM has already on it's hands trying to fix the other damaged brands. Hummer appealed to only a very small demographic and I would rather see GM sell them off then pull the plug on a more vital brand such as Buick or Pontiac.
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3,019 Posts
can we just put this brand out of its misery and call it a day instead?
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Maybe bring it down to one vehicle and sell it in Cadillac dealerships as Escalades' angry little brother.
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Kill the H2, keep the H3/H3T, put the HX into production and give it good fuel economy, and we're good.
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Hummer should be no more than 2 or 3 models anyways...and non-blingy ones at that.
2 H3 products (truck and 4 door) and one 2 door H4 product.
Think as basic and bare bones as possible- like a Land Rover Defender or Jeep Wrangler. Whoever thought it was a good idea to have stand alone Hummer dealerships should probably be fired.
2 H3 products (truck and 4 door) and one 2 door H4 product.
Think as basic and bare bones as possible- like a Land Rover Defender or Jeep Wrangler. Whoever thought it was a good idea to have stand alone Hummer dealerships should probably be fired.
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8,587 Posts
LOL, you tell 'em! That's the way to do it.Maybe they can get a Suzuki or Daewoo to co-design a Kei van with DAMD to look like a HUMMER (like the retro Chevy-fied van below) so we can have a 45MPG Hummer van. I keed, I keeed.
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Daewoo Damas:
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No, that would make too much sense. Making a Hummer H2 hybrid would make even more sense.
Why not just sell the brand at a terrific loss?
I have no regrets if it is dropped. The Hummer started as a very niche vehicle aimed at a very small group of people who did not care what mileage they were getting, how stiffly it rides (the original) and its cost. It's a toy. Maybe if you're worried about surviving an RPG round, you would look seriously at this vehicle. GM will not suffer from its loss but GM does suffer when they waste resources that could be targeted on high mileage, reliable vehicles.
Since they purchased the brand when everybody knew gas prices were rising, they knew that they were skating on thin ice with their decision.
Since they purchased the brand when everybody knew gas prices were rising, they knew that they were skating on thin ice with their decision.
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Hummer should be going neck to neck with Land Rover, a new H2 that is up to snuff and Range Rover, without bling and with the same level of technology to match, with addational high feature V8 (buy it from BMW if you must) 8 speed, etc.. would go a long way in saving this brand.
Killing it is stupid. But current American MBA thought is, if a division is expiriencing trouble sell it. As in sell your way to profitability.
Just look at Ford and GE? Are they any better after selling themselves off, from toasters to Jaguar?
For one, Tell me why Lincoln was never getting same products as Jaguar based of the same plartforms? And Why Range Rovers were not based on Ford Trucks?
Killing it is stupid. But current American MBA thought is, if a division is expiriencing trouble sell it. As in sell your way to profitability.
Just look at Ford and GE? Are they any better after selling themselves off, from toasters to Jaguar?
For one, Tell me why Lincoln was never getting same products as Jaguar based of the same plartforms? And Why Range Rovers were not based on Ford Trucks?
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10,454 Posts
I disagree. I think the Tahoe Z71 and Escalade should go up against the LR products, which have become more minivanish with every redesign.
The Hummer should be what Land Rover (and Jeep) used to be- real off road trucks for real hard core enthusiast.
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