Hummer H4 News **Concept to be unveiled at Detroit Auto Show (page 2)**
10-27-2005 | 12:38 AM
#1
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Hummer H4 News **Concept to be unveiled at Detroit Auto Show (page 2)**
Beach Blanket Hummer: Buggy version of Hummer reportedly in GM's future - - By JULIAN RENDELL - - Source: Autoweek
AutoWeek illustration
General Motors’ future product plan includes a back-to-basics, go-anywhere Hummer H4—a rough-and-tough competitor for the Jeep Wrangler. The fourth Hummer could be on sale by 2008 or 2009.
A GM source confirms the company is looking for ways of making a small Hummer on its various sport/utility vehicle and pickup platforms. GM engineers and designers are working on the project, but a chassis for the vehicle has yet to be selected. One possibility is a two-seater, focused on the most rugged off-roading possible, similar to the Hummer dune buggy we illustrated earlier this year (“A Hummer Buggy,” May 9).
“It’s a matter of finding the right combination of rugged components and how we can package them into a vehicle smaller than the H3,” says the source. “The main design factor is that any vehicle with a Hummer badge has to be the most capable off-road, period.”
One possibility is to use a shortened version of GM’s small pickup platform, which underpins the new H3.
GM product czar Bob Lutz is believed to be a big supporter of the H4, and as a former boss of Jeep he knows the competition intimately.
Hummer is also unlikely to launch a second range of soft-roaders, a move that Jeep is taking to exploit sales with owners who don’t need its “Trail Tested” off-road abilities.
“It’s not the right time to be rounding off the corners of the Hummer range yet,” our source says.
A GM source confirms the company is looking for ways of making a small Hummer on its various sport/utility vehicle and pickup platforms. GM engineers and designers are working on the project, but a chassis for the vehicle has yet to be selected. One possibility is a two-seater, focused on the most rugged off-roading possible, similar to the Hummer dune buggy we illustrated earlier this year (“A Hummer Buggy,” May 9).
“It’s a matter of finding the right combination of rugged components and how we can package them into a vehicle smaller than the H3,” says the source. “The main design factor is that any vehicle with a Hummer badge has to be the most capable off-road, period.”
One possibility is to use a shortened version of GM’s small pickup platform, which underpins the new H3.
GM product czar Bob Lutz is believed to be a big supporter of the H4, and as a former boss of Jeep he knows the competition intimately.
Hummer is also unlikely to launch a second range of soft-roaders, a move that Jeep is taking to exploit sales with owners who don’t need its “Trail Tested” off-road abilities.
“It’s not the right time to be rounding off the corners of the Hummer range yet,” our source says.
AutoWeek illustration
10-27-2005 | 09:55 AM
#5
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From: New Orleans
Interesting. Good move for Hummer. They're very popular globay, especially in Africa and the Middle east. It's important for Hummer as a brand to flesh out it's product lineup, without having overlapping products. As it stands, I only has two true consumer made products (H2 and H3). The H1 is a true Hummer and will always sell in limitied quantities. I can easily see them moving forward with this, and just as described; a Hummer made with existing components cobbled together into a new vehicle to keep costs down, that will carry a hefty profit. Plus, they're always be that customer niche in the market that wants a small, true offroader. The whole development of the Hummer line in this manner is go to head to head with Jeep. GM has looked to years at Jeep and wish it had a brand dedicated to true offroad vehicles. Now they've got one. 
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10-27-2005 | 10:30 AM
#8
Originally Posted by sdho
looks too much like a Jeep...
This design looks somewhat interesting though....
10-27-2005 | 11:20 AM
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From: New Orleans
Originally Posted by juniorbean
The H3 looks almost exactly like the new Jeep Commander. Sucks that Hummer is selling out like that....
This design looks somewhat interesting though....
This design looks somewhat interesting though....
10-27-2005 | 11:26 AM
#10
Yeehaw
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From: Chandler, Arizona
Originally Posted by titan
The H3 came out first. How are they selling out?
Doesn't matter which came out first, the point was that Hummers are getting to be indistinguishable from everyday cars. Hummers used to be big exclusive badass trucks, now they are just another SUV...
That H4 looks promising though, give it more balls than a wrangler and they might have something.
Me thinks GM will kill Hummer not too far down the road.
10-27-2005 | 01:13 PM
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Originally Posted by BEETROOT
Doesn't matter which came out first, the point was that Hummers are getting to be indistinguishable from everyday cars. Hummers used to be big exclusive badass trucks, now they are just another SUV...
That H4 looks promising though, give it more balls than a wrangler and they might have something.
That H4 looks promising though, give it more balls than a wrangler and they might have something.
10-27-2005 | 01:24 PM
#13
Yeehaw
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From: Chandler, Arizona
Originally Posted by titan
The original comment was that the H3 looks exactly like the Commander. Then it was said that Hummer was selling out. All I said was, the H3 came out first, so how are they copying the Commander.
Futher, every Hummer on the road is extremely distinguishable, because there isn't another SUV that looks like them on the road, save maybe the brand new Commander.
This directly contradicts your next statement,
As far as it being just another SUV, that's GM's point.
They wanted to make Hummer a larger scale brand, and they have. "Exclusive badass trucks" won't bring in the profits that GM needs right now. A credible SUV brand to compete with Jeep will.
10-27-2005 | 01:41 PM
#14
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The statements weren't contradictory. You just interpreted them that way. "As far as it being just another SUV, that's GM's point," means, that SUVs are common now, not that the styling doesn't stand out. As far as "selling out" is concerened, lol, GM could care less about whether or not we think they're doing that or not. GM is in this for survival. They're in the fight of their life, and that they must be held to some kind of higher standard when the competiton rolls over them is crazy. GM would'nt make the H3, or the H4, if there wasn't a strong business case for them. SUVs are still very profitable, or atleast GM thinks so, or they wouldn't be developing them. It's all about the bottom line. Period. Not whether or not we think another SUV needs to be sold, or whether or not we think it's a bad idea because all of the sudden they're not exclusive.
10-27-2005 | 01:56 PM
#15
Yeehaw
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From: Chandler, Arizona
Well, being that this is a forum of automotive enthusiasts and not market analysts and accountants, I assumed the conversation here would tend toward discussion of the vehicle and not its profitability.
Point taken. From now on I'll base all my opinions regarding automobiles on whether or not it was good for the parent companies bottom line.
Originally Posted by titan
It's all about the bottom line. Period. Not whether or not we think another SUV needs to be sold, or whether or not we think it's a bad idea because all of the sudden they're not exclusive.
Point taken. From now on I'll base all my opinions regarding automobiles on whether or not it was good for the parent companies bottom line.
10-27-2005 | 05:11 PM
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[QUOTE=BEETROOT]Well, being that this is a forum of automotive enthusiasts and not market analysts and accountants.
We're all enthusiasts here. But we both know we discuss the buiness of auto as much as the products themselves, espcially in the Automotive News section. Threads are posted all the time concerning the finiancial health of car companys. Personally, I don't have much interest in the H4. I'll never buy one or have use for one. But I have a very big interest in GM and it's been an intergrel part of the U.S. economy from it's inception. That's all I was saying... if GM thinks the H4 will help them out, then I hope it's a success.
We're all enthusiasts here. But we both know we discuss the buiness of auto as much as the products themselves, espcially in the Automotive News section. Threads are posted all the time concerning the finiancial health of car companys. Personally, I don't have much interest in the H4. I'll never buy one or have use for one. But I have a very big interest in GM and it's been an intergrel part of the U.S. economy from it's inception. That's all I was saying... if GM thinks the H4 will help them out, then I hope it's a success.
10-27-2005 | 05:16 PM
#19
Yeehaw
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From: Chandler, Arizona
^ gotcha.
I hate the H2 and H3, but I can see the H4 being pretty cool. I love offroad vehicles, and if this is the Wrangler on steroids it appears to be, I'd imagine it will sell well, and be fun to drive.
I hate the H2 and H3, but I can see the H4 being pretty cool. I love offroad vehicles, and if this is the Wrangler on steroids it appears to be, I'd imagine it will sell well, and be fun to drive.
10-27-2005 | 07:48 PM
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Originally Posted by BEETROOT
^ gotcha.
I hate the H2 and H3, but I can see the H4 being pretty cool. I love offroad vehicles, and if this is the Wrangler on steroids it appears to be, I'd imagine it will sell well, and be fun to drive.
I hate the H2 and H3, but I can see the H4 being pretty cool. I love offroad vehicles, and if this is the Wrangler on steroids it appears to be, I'd imagine it will sell well, and be fun to drive.
11-21-2006 | 12:50 AM
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GM will unveil H4 concept at Detroit auto show - - By JAMIE LAREAU | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS - - Source: Autoweek
DETROIT -- General Motors' Hummer brand will unveil an H4 concept vehicle in January at the Detroit auto show, sources close to the automaker say.
The vehicle would be a smaller truck that would compete with the Jeep Wrangler. A production version likely would be built for the 2010 model year.
GM is also working on an H3 pickup that would be available in the 2009 model year, sources say.
"They want to broaden the product lineup for Hummer because they have had quite a degree of success with the H3 SUV," says Erich Merkle, director of forecasting at IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids, Mich. "The H2, in this environment, is too large. It's overkill."
The H3 is built on the small-pickup architecture used by the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. It is unclear what architecture GM would use for the H4, but a source says it will not be a front-wheel-drive architecture.
The vehicle would be a smaller truck that would compete with the Jeep Wrangler. A production version likely would be built for the 2010 model year.
GM is also working on an H3 pickup that would be available in the 2009 model year, sources say.
"They want to broaden the product lineup for Hummer because they have had quite a degree of success with the H3 SUV," says Erich Merkle, director of forecasting at IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids, Mich. "The H2, in this environment, is too large. It's overkill."
The H3 is built on the small-pickup architecture used by the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. It is unclear what architecture GM would use for the H4, but a source says it will not be a front-wheel-drive architecture.
11-22-2006 | 01:08 AM
#33
Originally Posted by Python2121
The mere fact that GM thinks that expanding ANOTHER brand of rebadges is a good idea proves that they still dont get it.
11-22-2006 | 09:34 AM
#34
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Originally Posted by Sly Raskal
they never will. look how long it's been and the interiors in their cars are still crap.
11-22-2006 | 10:54 AM
#35
Originally Posted by phile
Take a look at some of the future Cadillac spy shots, though. The future (at least for Cadillac) looks promising.
But I agree with you, the models they have hopes for look promising, but until it hits the dealer lot I'm not gonna believe them 100%.
11-22-2006 | 08:03 PM
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From: philly
Originally Posted by Dan Martin
They can't be serious. 
That military DNA is getting pretty diluted by now.
Not much of this left in the H3...
That military DNA is getting pretty diluted by now.
Not much of this left in the H3...
Actually there should be more of THAT left in an H3 than an H1. Take a look at the new WRANGLER RUBICON, this vehicle WILL compete against the best GM has to offer. Whether GM wants to build a real vehicle or not, the new rubicon is what it is, an offroad leader.
11-23-2006 | 09:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Python2121
The mere fact that GM thinks that expanding ANOTHER brand of rebadges is a good idea proves that they still dont get it.
11-24-2006 | 11:46 AM
#38
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Originally Posted by titan
Sharing platforms and rebadging are very different things. Hummer is apparently a very fast growing brand globally, and they're putting a dent into Land Rover's dominance in other parts of the world. This is a good business mover.
11-25-2006 | 01:15 PM
#40
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Unlike the US, most places in the world are either too developed and cramped to fit an SUV on the streets, or are rugged outdoor places that require real off-road capabilities. Hummer's latest posemobiles don't really fit in either category ...
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