The New Hummer H3

[hagiber]

On Wednesday, General Motors will unveil a new Hummer that will be smaller, cheaper and less gas-hungry than its predecessors.

The new junior member of the Hummer family, to be called H3, is seen as critical to the survival of a brand that has been treading water this year, as the novelty of the two-year-old Hummer H2 has faded. The H3 is to hit showrooms next spring, a date that could not come soon enough for G.M.'s 167 Hummer dealers, who are facing a sales slump at the same time they are spending millions of dollars to fulfill G.M.'s requirement that Hummers be sold in huge glass and steel Quonset huts.

"The H3 makes that viable," said Jim Lynch, a Hummer dealer in the St. Louis area who is in the middle of building one of the new showrooms. He called the H3 an "extremely important" vehicle that gave Hummer dealers "the volume to really be a standalone franchise."

At a glance, H3 looks a lot like the Hummer H2, which has become an avatar of American swagger or sinfulness, depending upon whom you ask. But there are significant differences. The H3 is about 17 inches shorter than the H2 bumper to bumper, and about 6 inches less wide and tall. The H3 is expected to approach 20 miles per gallon in highway driving and get about 16 miles per gallon in the city, a G.M. official said. That is better than the roughly 12 miles per gallon that the H2 gets. But it is below the 22 miles per gallon on the highway and the 19 miles per gallon in the city for the average midsize sport utility vehicle, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Not that Hummer is going after the eco-conscious.

"I don't want you to get the idea we're releasing the H3 to get to those people who think the H2 is not fuel efficient," said Susan Docherty, Hummer's new general manager. Rather, H3's lower price will bring the vehicle to a vastly larger market. The sport utility vehicle is expected to start from $30,000 to $40,000, compared with the H2, which starts at just under $50,000, and the H1, which starts around $100,000. G.M. envisions selling more H3 S.U.V.'s than the combined volume of both of its predecessors and hopes for sales of more than 40,000 Hummers next year, up from about 20,000 this year.

[Ungas]

GM has really lost its sense with Hummer design and functionality. Infact the word Hummer doesn't imply any respect in my own dictionary, except with the original 1st gen Hummer.

[mazdamazda]

the H3 is not the "3rd gen" Hummer, nor is it a continuation of the H1 series or even the H2 series.

the H1, H2, and H3 series are/will be sold as separate vehicles and caters for different market segments. comparable to BMW's 7, 5 & 3 series vehicles.

[niky]

Which still means NO RESPECT for H2 or H3... The H1 is the only Hummer that matters.

[odell]

H1 parin.....

[empy]

looks ok. i'm in the market for an suv probably next year. i'll have to see what the final car looks like and costs, how it drives and what features it has to consider it.

i saw the land rover lr3 though - now that is one fine-looking suv for $40k!!

[Ungas]

M54::: Stay away from those electronic traction gadgets as much as possible if you plan to purchase one.

Mechanical is still the reliable by far. Go with differential locks, portal axles, great suspension articulation & tons of torque on low ends. Oh, I almost forgot, great gear reduction for crawling.

[luckytruck]

mahal pa rin, i still can't afford it AMC Hammer na lang

andy

[hagiber]

Originally posted by M54 Powered


i saw the land rover lr3 though - now that is one fine-looking suv for $40k!!

Hmmm... guess which SUV is Motortrends 2005 Sport utility of the year ??? Yup, its the LR3

[ARB]

the H3 is based on the colorado which is also the D-max platform. mag d-max na lang. he he.