GM Hummers get more punch in 2005
 

GM Hummers get more punch

Automaker to unveil 2005 model H2 SUT, upgraded version of rugged H1 in Las Vegas

By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News

General Motors Corp., expanding the popular Hummer franchise, will unveil a pickup truck-like version of the boxy H2 today.

The H2 sport-utility truck or SUT will make its public debut at an industry after market show in Las Vegas.

At the same time, an upgraded version of the larger Hummer H1 will be introduced as GM looks to broaden the appeal of the rugged truck brand it bought four years ago.

The 2005 Hummer H2 SUT is essentially the same size as the H2, but instead of a covered cargo area, it features a pickup truck bed. It will go on sale in the spring.

"We see SUT buyers as maybe a unique subset (of H2 buyers)," Hummer marketing director Marc Hernandez said during a recent interview. "They're people who like Hummer, but want a different level of functionality and capability."

The H2 SUT will be equipped with a removable midgate that is featured on other GM vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT.

Removing the midgate allows for additional cargo space. With the midgate down, the SUT will have about 7.5 feet of vertical cargo room, Hernandez said.

GM expects the SUT version to account for about one-third of all H2 sales the first year, according to Hernandez.

The SUT marks a continuing evolution for the burgeoning H2 franchise.

"With the H2, I expect GM to continue adding amenities," CSM Worldwide analyst Mike Wall said. "As GM attempts to blend off-road and luxury, it could probably pull back from Hummer's ruggedness."

Interior enhancements and additional power mark the biggest differences in the 2004 Hummer H1 -- the civilian version of the Humvee used by the military.

Careful to retain the H1's ruggedness, GM left the interior fairly spartan, but with several upgrades designed to convey a more upscale image -- including better and more supportive leather seats, brushed aluminum trim and a six-disc CD changer.

The H1's 6.5 liter turbo-diesel V-8 engine has been retuned to produce 10 additional horsepower, bringing the total to 205 hp.

Through September, sales of the H1 and H2 were up more than 200 percent from the first nine months of 2002.

You can reach Ed Garsten at (313) 223-3217 or egarsten@detnews.com.

all they need now is a h3 and h4 and they'll have beat jeep at their own game.

fuck hummer, hummer sux

Hot car, I wish I was rich.

hummer is a box on wheels rather get an m3 ne day over that shit or an x5

but, which one is your daddy willing to get for you?;)

Biggest gas guzzling POS on the market today.

But it makes Arnold and Gary Coleman happy, so eh. :dunno: