Hummer Guy Hummer News and Opinion from an experienced off-road instructor
While sorting through the mud-slinging and random speculation from different news sources about HUMMER’s future, we came across an interesting tidbit in The Wall Street Journal. When the second largest newspaper in the United States says that General Motors has “discussed killing off at least one future Hummer SUV product,” we pay attention.
First I thought, “Oh, they must have just heard about the next generation H2 being put on hold,” old-news and no big deal. Then, after contacting The Wall Street Journal, I was told that it had nothing to do with the H2, but rather the H3. WSJ’s source claims that suppliers were told today that would be no new H3 despite plans for a new one. THEN I thought, “could it be the H3t?” So here’s the scoop:
The Wall Street Journal hasn’t published the extra details – probably because they couldn’t verify the accuracy of the statements, and large newspapers tend to like that sort of thing. HUMMER says that right now a successful launch of all 2009 model year HUMMERs (including the new H3T) is one of their top priorities, so you can toss the H3T cancellation theory out the window too. When asked about an announcement to suppliers, a HUMMER spokesperson said it was just speculation – and although he couldn’t comment on future products, he confirmed that the engineering department is continuing to work on current projects, which include future models.
What does all this mean? We may know more with time – but for now, nothing is changing in the HUMMER lineup – except for the addition of new 2009 H3T model later this year.
This from today’s article:
“GM announced a major reaction to this shift earlier in June, saying it will shutter four truck and SUV plants by 2010, and potentially shed a Hummer division that is closely associated with gas guzzlers. Recently, GM killed plans for the next-generation H3, a relatively-fuel efficient SUV that had been popular among U.S. buyers, and shelved plans for a sporty H4 that would have competed with the Jeep Wrangler.”
Brutal. If this is true, it means one two things to me:
1.) Hummer is dead. You don’t shelve your “smaller” concept and axe your most fuel efficient model when the problem is gas prices, unless you are shutting down.
2.) Hummer has 1 or 2 concepts that we haven’t seen yet that are even more efficient. God, I hope we don’t see a Hummer “Compass” like Jeep.
i know its off the point but im gonna see the HX in july! cant wait!
I am a Jeep fan, but I agree that a Compass-like Hummer would be pure torture.