NationStates Jolt Archive

Will they ever get it? We do not need more of these!

Paris (Reuters) -- General Motors Corp.'s Hummer brand needs to double its product lineup by adding two or three more models, the executive charged with GM's product planning told reporters on Wednesday.

"Hummer needs some more products. It needs two or three more products to give it sufficient market coverage," General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters at the opening of a Hummer dealership in Paris.

Lutz said making a Hummer-branded pickup truck, which would have ample passenger seating, remained an "option."

Earlier this year GM (Charts) faced pressure from activist investor Kirk Kerkorian to consider spinning off Hummer, which began as a high-mobility vehicle produced for the U.S. military.

But GM executives have argued that the brand is central to the automaker's strategy as it moves to cut costs, shore up market share and return to profitability in the U.S. market.

Sales of Hummer were up almost 50 percent in the first eight months of this year. By contrast, GM's overall sales were down 12 percent.

Hummer currently has three models: the H2, H2 SUT and H3. GM announced earlier this year it is stopping production of the original H1 Hummer, which was larger than the full-size H2.

The H2 SUT has short pickup-style truck bed.

The H3, which is built on GM's midsize pickup truck platform, accounts for about three-quarters of the brand's current sales. It is similar in size to a Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota 4Runner and is powered by a 5-cylinder engine.

GM executives have said previously that a smaller vehicle, similar in size to a Jeep Wrangler, is also being considered for the brand.

Hummer, which GM bought in 1999, has acquired both fervent fans like California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and outspoken critics, who see the brand's heavy SUVs as a symbol of American consumer excess and dependence on foreign oil.

You know how to stop this from moving forward, don't you? Whenever you see a Hummer or other SUV, set it on fire. I normally hate violence but it's okay if used to defend our mother, the Earth. And punishing those evil, conspiring republicans is just a happy bonus.

Will they ever get it? We do not need more of these!
Then neither you nor the worm in your pocket need to buy one.
However, as the article states, the market for them exists, and so GM has decided to fill that gap.

And we don't need a lot of things that the American public spends an assload of cash on (fancy clothes, expensive restaurants, opera tickets, computer games, etc), they get bought and sold anyway.

Who cares? Just laugh at them during the summer high gas price season as they're filling up their big square mess.

I swear, even when those damned things are parked and their engines are off, I swear I can still taste the exhaust fumes.

Just for the record, I usually encounter at least one 18-wheeler on my commute to/from school everyday, a Hummer smells damn close to what I smell at the loading docks on my way home.

Will they ever get it? We do not need more of these!

I don't have one yet.
We must need at least one more.

I swear, even when those damned things are parked and their engines are off, I swear I can still taste the exhaust fumes.

Just for the record, I usually encounter at least one 18-wheeler on my commute to/from school everyday, a Hummer smells damn close to what I smell at the loading docks on my way home.

Big rigs actually get better mileage than hummers.

Actually, it would be great if they produced more H3s relative to other models; that SUV is a hell of a lot more fuel efficient than others in its class and it actually is useful for offroading and other purposes. They need to get rid of that ridiculous H2 (which is nothing more than a Tahoe chassis with a bunch of gaudy styling) and put some more mid-size SUVs in to the market; they'd make a lot of money capturing the mid-size market, especially if they could sell the vehicles as both spacious and fuel efficient.

You know how to stop this from moving forward, don't you? Whenever you see a Hummer or other SUV, set it on fire. I normally hate violence but it's okay if used to defend our mother, the Earth. And punishing those evil, conspiring republicans is just a happy bonus.

You know that is the most idiotic thing I have heard.....I love it when environmental activists think burning an SUV is the answer.

Do you not realize how environmentally damaging that it is to burn an SUV.

A completely idiotic statement that by obvious reasons is not for protecting the environment.

Besides even if you did burn one don't you think that hundredes more are coming off the assembly line.

You know that is the most idiotic thing I have heard.....I love it when environmental activists think burning an SUV is the answer.

Yeah, I mean I could see buying old ones and creating a company to recycle their parts and materials to conserve resources or a program that helps people get rid of their SUVs and buy more efficient vehicles as a replacement, but setting them on fire makes no sense and is just plain mean. I'm no fan of SUVs, but I respect peoples' decision to buy one; I think it's a little foolish unless they need it, but I'm not going to stop them from buying it or look down on them if they do.

All the gas inside is burned, the plastics are burned, the various chemicals are spilled or burned and anything else bad for the environment is guaranteed to get out. It's like protesting a toxic waste dump by burning the waste in an open air pit...

I have an SUV not a hummer though......Full size Ford Bronco 4x4 it has a 351 5.7 L V-8 awesome truck. I get about 12 mpg when using the AC and about 15-16 mpg with no AC. I live in Florida and I love the AC. I don't mind paying a bit more for the gas. I like to feel safe when I drive and I like to be comfortable when driving. My Bronco is fully loaded w/leather interior and has air seats. Truly a nice looking vehicle. It's an Eddie Bauer edition. Just a name but bought it well below Blue book value.

Bottom Line: I love my SUV. :D

Big rigs actually get better mileage than hummers.

Now multiply those big rigs by 4-7, doesn't matter which number, just as long as it's in those, and you have lots of stuff I don't want in my lungs by the time I get home.

Whenever you see a Hummer or other SUV, set it on fire. I normally hate violence but it's okay if used to defend our mother, the Earth. And punishing those evil, conspiring republicans is just a happy bonus.

Eco-terrorism at its finest!

Besides even if you did burn one don't you think that hundredes more are coming off the assembly line.
Especially since the person owning the SUV is, most likely, sufficiently Middle Class that they'll have it fully insured, so they'll simply buy a new one to replace the destroyed one (an action which increases the demand for SUV's, the exact reverse of what was originally intended by the pyro).

I have an SUV not a hummer though......Full size Ford Bronco 4x4 it has a 351 5.7 L V-8 awesome truck. I get about 12 mpg when using the AC and about 15-16 mpg with no AC. I live in Florida and I love the AC. I don't mind paying a bit more for the gas. I like to feel safe when I drive and I like to be comfortable when driving. My Bronco is fully loaded w/leather interior and has air seats. Truly a nice looking vehicle. It's an Eddie Bauer edition. Just a name but bought it well below Blue book value.

Damn nice vehicle. Personally, I'd want a Prius or some other small hybrid for commuting and a nice luxury car for when I'm doing stuff I want. Maybe an SUV or truck if I needed to tow something or transport something big, but I don't really like the higher up and different center of gravity in trucks and SUVs so I wouldn't use it for everyday purposes.

Someday, I'd really like a 7-series BMW...that's a nice car. Too bad a new one can cost of $70,000, but here's to hoping I land a good job after I graduate college.

Especially since the person owning the SUV is, most likely, sufficiently Middle Class that they'll have it fully insured, so they'll simply buy a new one to replace the destroyed one (an action which increases the demand for SUV's, the exact reverse of what was originally intended by the pyro).

So burn the driver down instead?

So burn the driver down instead?

For some reason, I think murder is a lot worse than the pollution produced by that one SUV. :confused:

For some reason, I think murder is a lot worse than the pollution produced by that one SUV. :confused:
Murder Shmuder, if it were really that bad there would be a law against it.

For some reason, I think murder is a lot worse than the pollution produced by that one SUV. :confused:

Why? The pollution caused by SUVs might tip the environmental scales and cause the extinction of various species. On the other hand, the herds of humans on this miserable little planet need to be culled.

Why? The pollution caused by SUVs might tip the environmental scales and cause the extinction of various species. On the other hand, the herds of humans on this miserable little planet need to be culled.

Well then why not let them just keep polluting? A basic overview of population dynamics should tell you that a population dieoff is a lot more satisfying and rapid culling than individual efforts to achieve the same end...

I agree. Burning them will only further damage the environment. Put live skunks in them. :)

Well, as far as I can tell is anything you do would ultimately result in breaking the law. Breaking and entering is illegal. I say it's in everybodies best interests to leave other peoples properties alone.

Who cares? Just laugh at them during the summer high gas price season as they're filling up their big square mess.

And the greatest part is hearing them complain about how much they have to pay to fill up with gas. You reap what you sow, my friends. If you buy a gas-guzzler, then you take the consequences.

And the greatest part is hearing them complain about how much they have to pay to fill up with gas. You reap what you sow, my friends. If you buy a gas-guzzler, then you take the consequences.

Well, fact is...is I'm far from rich....I suppose I could be classified as middle class, however, I'm at the bottom of that spectre....good or bad I dont know.

I do love my SUV and I don't bitch about when I put $90 to fill er up. Now gas prices are falling so now it only costs me like $75 it has a 32 gal tank. No I don't bitch about it because I accept that it costs more to live more comfortable.

Actually, I just did the math I can purchase gas at the Race Trac for $2.14/gal times 32 gallons equals $68.48, however, I only average needing a half tank/wk which means I only will pay $34.24/week.