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There's no official obituary for GM's HUMMER brand yet, but haters are lacing up their dancing shoes while lovers wring their hands. Dealers with HUMMER franchises have a lot of skin in the game, so the uncertain future is bound to give business officers ulcers. Not willing to wait around to the bitter end, Milwaukee's Bergstrom HUMMER is planning to move into the same space as the group's Chevrolet store. The HUMMER-specific Quonset hut style dealership building will be toned down and pressed into service as an outlet for Certified used GM vehicles. Other HUMMER dealers across the nation are staring down the same conundrum, being on the hook for that big, rugged showroom, test track, inventory, and staff, while the parent company looks to clamp off bleeders. Some might follow Bergstrom's lead and shove the big trucks into a corner of a showroom dominated by a more stable brand, while others are shipping inventory as fast as they can.

Moving product is a tremendous challenge when the bobbleheads on the nightly news continue shrilly about the price of fuel and you've got a lot full of low-mpg, high weight trucks that happen to be a favorite target of vandals euphemistically masquerading as "activists." Customers that do make it through the door are looking for deals, and HUMMER will spot you five thousand bucks to take an H3, PLEASE. Existing customers are looking to get out of their vehicles any way possible, even if it means a financial hit. The mass exodus isn't solely due to hysteria, when it costs over $100 to fill the fuel tank, it chafes to watch the fuel gauge's precipitously quick drop toward "E." Retail issues aside, HUMMER still offers capable vehicles with a high level of style. If you've got a boat to pull, and want to look like the Governator, an H2 could still be just the thing, and now you'll be able to find one for a song; most likely the blues.

Gallery: 2009 HUMMER H3T


[Source: Inside Line]

Hedging its bets - HUMMER dealer anticipates doom, pre-emptively downsizes originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The PR materials for the HUMMER H2 Safari say that the big truck's matte olive green paint is designed to help it blend in on the trail. We get the idea, but while H2s may do many things, "blending in" ain't exactly one of 'em, low-key paint notwithstanding. So, while it may scare away the gazelles you're trying to hunt, you can still take advantage of the amenities, of which there are many.

HUMMER H2 SafariA sliding canvas roof panel opens up the big HUMMER's interior to Mother Nature, and the experience can be made even airier thanks to the removable rear quarter windows. Inside, you enjoy the new Gaia-enhanced drive from weather-resistant nylon-covered seats, and the instrument panel has been gussied up in matching colors and brushed metal trim. A dockable GPS sits on the center console, too. While a pith helmet is not included, fuel and gun racks are, as well as a boatload of gear like a Warn winch, 35" Mickey Ts, and a sampling of official HUMMER accessories.

As is the case with the H3R, HUMMER's closely watching the reaction to this concept. If it's good enough, a similar H2 in limited-production form is a distinct possibility. We can already see the TV commercial: it would be just like the Jeep one where friendly forest critters jump through the Liberty's open top, only in this one, a Partagas-chomping Bob Lutz would be driving the open-roofed HUMMER, from which he'd be blowing away attacking terradactyls and sabre-toothed tigers with a Desert Eagle. For that reason alone, this must see production.

[Source:GM]

Gallery: SEMA 2007: HUMMER H2 Safari

Continue reading SEMA 2007: HUMMER H2 Safari

SEMA 2007: HUMMER H2 Safari originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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