I'm going to stick my neck way out there on this one and take a wild left field guess the next product in the Hummer portfolio just might possible be something completely unexpected and totally revolutionary, called, perchance, an H4?

-- Alan

 

A smaller version of any vehicle is bound to be more fuel efficient.
I was looking at US Passenger Car Efficiency: 1973-2001.

The combined mpg of the H3 is 17mpg according to www.fueleconomy.gov. The average US car got that kind of fuel economy back in 1983 - it's below average in 2006. Some might call this progress, but is this exactly robust?

There is still the issue of perception. Think Toyota and Prius quickly comes to mind. Think GM and it's Hummer. People are starting to look at fuel economy more seriously. A lot of those people are probably not looking at a "baby Hummer" to satisify that criteria.

 

Knowing the retards at Garbage Motors, they'll convert to Roman numerals and proudly launch the HIV -- then scratch their pointy-haired noggins while wondering why no one will touch it.

 

Actually, I think when people think of GM they think of Chevrolet. I also think that most people who decide they want a Hummer (pick a number, 1, 2, or 3) want it because it's a Hummer. If they can get one with decent fuel economy, then that's an added bonus. But those people are shopping Jeeps, Infiniti FX and QX, and Nissan Armada. People who shop fuel economy don't shop Hummer, and people that shop Hummer are not that much concerned about fuel economy, but do understand the concept of more fuel economy is better.

Peace,

Martin

 

martinjlm,

Too bad you can't talk to some of the other people at GM calling the shots.

Last night at the gym I saw the extended Hummer Submarine commercial. Don't have a problem with the Hummer driven off a pier and it converts into a submarine like one of 007's cars. But it goes on. A guy with a 1970's puny electric vehicle rushes to scrap it to get an H3. Variations of the recent "Restore Your Manhood" commercial of the mild-mannered guy dropping his tofu and other health foods at the supermarket to get an H3 and be transformed into a "real man".

Do "real wheels" - need commercials that pander to one's insecurities? The commercial just mentioned is worse as it's green bashing. Yes, I know - many Hummer customers dismiss Climate Change and peak oil, but lot of other people see this then scratch their heads when GM talks about fuel cell vehicles.

What would happen to Toyota's image if they did not say anything about the Prius, Yaris, Matrix, and only promoted the Sequoia and Tundra?

 

Hi,

Complaining about commercials could become a long and wandering thread . . . "Government FREE MONEY" "Head ON" . . . e.t.c.
I just figure they are there for our amusement. Sure some folks 'don't get it' but every village needs an idiot.

In the 1986 movie, "Ruthless People," they discussed someone's purchase of the "dominator speakers" 'big as a car and expensive as a house' as a 'manly' product for men who are 'less well endowed and less capable' in bed. It is an old advertising saw that no doubt we'll find recorded in some archelogical site.

IMHO, the right tool for the right job pretty well describes my thinking. BTW, I saw a beautiful SUV Wednesday night in Colorado Springs . . . it was completely splattered with mud as if another vehicle had been stuck and the spinning tires threw globs of mud all over this one. The right tool for the right job and a pickup truck or SUV will a lining of dirt and mud is the right tool at the right job.

By the same rule, it is not the right tool for single occupant commuting in urban environments. Public transportation comes first followed by shoes and bicycles for those who like the outdoors and hybrids and commuting cars for the rest. Other than service vehicles, I have no problem with a vehicle weight limit for downtown areas.

Bob Wilson

 

Just pointed out that Toyota has emphasised they build green vehicles while GM has rarely followed thru on projects such as the EV1 and even ridcules EVs in an H3 commercial. Both automakers offer a full range of vehicles, but Toyota is gaining - GM is losing. How can that observation be idiotic? The one dropping the word idiotic dissed this thread when it appered first on a different site, yet he responds to virtually the same thread - how rational.

Losing market share is not amuseing - GM needs to divert their revenues from marketing such commerdcials to retaking the non-SUV market - the market they let Toyota, Honda and others take.

 

All good points.

But (if I may interject) the non-SUV (small car) market was never GM's to keep or even let others take. At the moment, it appears GM's priorities are centered around the "Low hanging fruit" which is really the core values of their home market. The Hummer series seems like one of these fruits.

I am sure a few at GM's top management hope Honda and *especially* Toyota would slip-up or better yet, auto-magically disappear from the Earth. Because that would be the only way they (GM) would ever have a fair chance in the non-SUV market.



Unless Toyota continues to slip-up in quality, I fear GM's first coffin nail will be losing its place as the #1 volume automaker in the world. The rest is just a matter of how steep they want their downhill trip to be.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

Wow. I've seen the submarine ad, but not the extended version you've described. I'll reserve my opinion of that.

I will say that Chevrolet emphasizes fuel economy in its commercials. Hummer sells about 80,000 vehicles a year in North America (mostly H3) Chevrolet sells about 4.5 million and advertises a lot more to a much broader audience. Hopefully that message resonates better than any Hummer green bashing message.

By the way, for the next few months I'll be driving a Tahoe with FlexFuel capability and Active Fuel Management. I'll probably fill with E85 as often as possible.

Peace,

Martin

 

This is almost identical to the EV that I saw in the gym last night, for what it's worth. It seemed like they played the 30-sec "Submarine" ad, then another 30-second ad, that was not listed at www.hummer.com.