Vegas HUMMER dealer switching to SMART
If this doesn't strike you as a sign of the times, you may need to get your eyes checked. The only HUMMER dealership in Las Vegas, the city that invented excess and bling, is shutting its doors. Towbin HUMMER is actually one of the largest HUMMER dealerships in America. So what will they be selling instead? Well, you already know because you saw the headline at the top of this post: SMART cars. Talk about one extreme to the other.
Dan Towbin owns several dealerships in Sin City, where he sells Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Infinitis and Dodges. He says he'll bring in another GM dealership alongside the SMART store to replace the HUMMERs, which have been selling slow on account of high gas prices and increasing environmental conscience among consumers. Towbin's will be the eighth HUMMER dealership to close this year so far, a trend which may make it even harder for the General to sell off the brand.
[Source: Wall Street Journal via Kicking Tires]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
John 9:02AM (9/10/2008)
Talk about a radical shift! But it's all about supply and demand.
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LMBVette 10:18AM (9/10/2008)
GM may not have to do anything related to the Hummer brand if this keeps up. A good dealer will know the gig is up and get out while they can.
I'm sure everytime a Hummer dealership closes, another bottle of champagne pops in Detroit.
No Welfare for GM 9:06AM (9/10/2008)
"If this doesn't strike you as a sign of the times, you may need to get your eyes checked."-----Well it actually makes sense. Because both Hummer and Smart are impulse buys. They are both "i have money burning my pocket" type of vehicles, and Smart is cool and hip right now. And that is what people want, and Vegas is a definition of hip and cool (of course once all those tourists return home with empty pockets they blame the Congress and the President for their ills)
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Rich 4:35PM (9/10/2008)
"Vegas is a definition of hip and cool"
Um, no. "Chintzy and tacky" more like.
NYChic 9:09AM (9/10/2008)
Smart move.
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Red 9:10AM (9/10/2008)
A "Smart" decision, methinks.
Had to get that out because I knew somebody else would.
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BigMcLargeHuge 9:18AM (9/10/2008)
Like trading Roseanne Bar for Amy Winehouse.
Yuck and yuck.
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No Welfare for GM 9:23AM (9/10/2008)
No it's not.
When Amy was younger she was GORGEOUS, just google her name and you will see.
Roseanne on the other hand is not all that.
dejal 9:29AM (9/10/2008)
When Amy was younger?
She'll be 25 next week!!!!!
It's the tats and drugs, not her age.
You talk like she's at the end of her life. Oh yeah, she probably is.
BigMcLargeHuge 9:31AM (9/10/2008)
Key word being "was".
Its like trading (insert obese celebrity's name) for (insert emaciated celebrities name).
I'm not much for extremes.
John 10:46AM (9/10/2008)
If Amy Winehouse was a car she would be the nearly brand new yet beat up BWM or MB the careless young rich kid owns. It looked good when it came off the lot but suffered a lot of abuse in a short amount of time.
FThorn 9:15AM (9/10/2008)
I've been saying GM should do this. That is, remake Hummer (brand) into their ultra-green, eco brand. Ditch the goliaths and go small. In a few years time, no one will care how it began.
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Derek 10:33AM (9/10/2008)
Funny you say that, because I couldn't agree more. Having a Jeep Wrangler, I always thought the design (especially the bumpers) were ideal for city driving. It's also actually pretty compact, but could be smaller, with better gas mileage, and definitely needs a better top design.
That said, Hummer could be the first to introduce an urban-minded SUV. Small, rugged, fuel efficient, and able to take a beating from the idiots who "feel" their way into a parking spot.
Daniel 5:46PM (9/10/2008)
Oh boy, funny you mention that. The hardcore HUMMER heads will be up in arms if HUMMER gets its own lineup of badge-engineered Aveos and Volts. While Hummers don't get everyone's juices flowing like a Ferrari does, imagine if Ferrari all of a sudden decided to make a bunch of cars that were Honda Fit/Yaris fighters.
CBR 9:18AM (9/10/2008)
Is this Tobin of "King of Cars"?
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policyvote 9:25AM (9/10/2008)
I believe the 'King of Cars' show was featuring a nephew of the Dan Towbin this article mentions, and that nephew's operation of the Towbin Dodge dealership. It's too bad they sold it on the 'hip-hop lifestyle' aspect of it, because everyone who's ever bought a car should have been fascinated by the scene on the other side of the table and behind closed doors.
Peace
policy
Josiah 9:46AM (9/10/2008)
I personally loved that show, hip hop lifestyle and all. The energy and approach to selling cars was inspiration for any business owner.
Janizary 11:28AM (9/10/2008)
The A&E show "King of Cars" took place at Towbin Dodge at the Valley Automall, in Henderson, Nevada.
http://www.kingofcars.com/
http://www.aetv.com/kingofcars/
policyvote 9:21AM (9/10/2008)
Somehow I don't see 'The King of SMART Cars' making for quite as compelling television . . .
Peace
policy
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Stumpy 9:28AM (9/10/2008)
I like the Smart Cars and dislike Hummers. So sounds like a great thing to me.
I would love a Smart car for my daily commute... and well, for driving around everywhere else too.
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