Now that the Hummer -- the original Hummer H1 -- is distinctly out of flavor, the U.S. armed services are busy looking for its replacement. Having put out a request for proposals, one of the supposed leading candidates is this: a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle developed by Navistar and BAE Systems, Inc, a British defense industry firm. The two together already provide the H1's temporary replacement, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.
The Mad Max monstrosity has the same track as the H1, but that's about all they have in common. Built of many off-the-shelf components from Navistar's parts bin, the truck's modular build configuration makes an easier job of modifying it for different missions and repairing. It's shaped to disperse charges from roadside bombs, the armor is an inch thick, it has a flat floor to allow exit from either side of the vehicle, and it can escape a battle without a wheel and without engine cooling. Not bad. Follow the link to get the full specs on the military's potential new charge. But if they want something even more brutish, they could always go for this.
You may also remember that the producer of the original H1, AM General, is also working on its own candidate for the next Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, which we've yet to see.
HUMMER's image has always been one of excessive excess. While much of that portrayal is due to GM's own marketing, the people who purchase the imposing 'utes – be they high-profile celebs or well-to-do suburbanites – have done more to define the brand than GM's marketing boffins ever could. But the General wants to change all that.
Mark LaNeve, GM's North American veep of sales, service and marketing, is spearheading a campaign that's trying to show HUMMERs in a different light; specifically vehicles to get a particular job done. "No one criticizes a bulldozer for its gas mileage. That's because it's built to do a job," laments LaNeve in a USAToday interview. Fair enough Mark, but a bulldozer has a single-minded purpose – moving earth – whereas HUMMERs aren't always being used to plug mud and move boats. They've become lifestyle vehicles that are often not used for their intended purpose – just like the majority of SUVs on the road.
Regardless, GM's recent ad campaigns attempt to show the HUMMER in a more functional light, depicting the overblown SUV hauling firefighting gear and helping out with natural disaster relief. "Purpose Built" is the new tagline, but at the end of the day, no amount of PR will help HUMMER if people continue to see them parked outside the local Starbucks.
Like the rapper himself, his accouterments also refuse to die. Tupac's H1 is for sale on eBay, after having been raffled off in a contest on BET, then sold to someone else, then sold or given back to his family, then transferred to his entertainment company, Havenotz Entertainment. And now, their forced liquidation sale is your potential gain.
The 1996 H1 hardtop is remarkably lightly altered, with nothing more than a lightbar, and a couple of Hummer logos and "Eliminator" badges on the rear fenders. The tan interior doesn't look to have a single DVD player or 10-inch LCD in sight. Apparently, bling does know some bounds, and if you can call an H1 'tasteful,' then this is it. The current bid: $200,200. If you just gotta have it, the Buy It Now Price is $500,000 -- which should buy you a nice slice of heaven in Thugs Mansion. Check out the gallery of pics below.
AM General says because of Hummer-sized dropoff in sales, it will cut 160 jobs at its Indiana plant by year end. Company officials say expensive gas and relatively large sticker prices are two obstacles even the lane-hogging Hummer H2 just can't overcome. H2 sales have also been cannibalized by the somewhat smaller and more fuel-efficient H3.
On an ironically positive note, U.S. government orders for military Humvees are outpacing the Indiana plant's production capability. AMG spokesman Craig Mac Nab says some of the newly unemployed workers might be moved to H1 production.
This isn't the first time H2 plant workers have been laid off. AMG let go 170 workers in January. The H2 plant also shut down for two weeks in October in an attempt to control overproduction. Is this the end of the lumbering, dinosaur-like H2? Or can it evolve into a more planet-friendly vehicle?
Among the many showstoppers General Motors has planned for the North American International Auto Show in January, its military-inspired off-road brand HUMMER will be unveiling an H4 concept. The oft rumored H4 will be smaller than the successful H3 SUV that's currently driving HUMMER sales and will be slated to compete with the Jeep Wrangler. While the H3 is built on the same platform as the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups, we don't yet know what will underpin the H3. AutoWeek sources confirm, however, that it will not be built on a front-wheel drive platform. With the success of the H3 worldwide continuing unabated despite the fluctuation of fuel prices, the decision to produce the H4 concept should be an easy one for General Motors. Expect a version suitable for mass market consumption around 2010. HUMMER will also have a pickup version of the H3 on display at the Detroit show. With two new potential vehicles on deck, HUMMER appears ready to carve as large a niche for itself as possible out of the remaining pool of off-road warriors.
What do the 1980 Chevy Monza and the 1973 VW Microbus have in common? They are among Car Talk hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi's Top 10 Scariest Cars list. Of the Monza they say, " Whenever one of these beauties reared its ugly grille in front of the garage, every mechanic with more than six weeks' experience would go running for the men's room and lock the door." Another car on the list, the 1987 Ford Festiva, gets this derision from the brothers: "We once got in trouble for saying this car came right from the factory with a funeral wreath on the grille."
GM has recognized that dealers are suffering from a severe glut of H2s on their lots and has determined that the best way to avoid adding to the over-supply problem is to cease production at its Mishawaka, Indiana plant.
This is not the first time that GM has made course corrections in the production of the Tahoe-based Hummer. Back in January of this year, the automaker transferred 170 employees off the line and into another plant to make up for shortfalls in H2 sales. Currently, the Mishawaka plant only has 600 employees, down from the 1,000 that it normally utilizes at full tilt boogie.
Fathers jealous of the HUMMER Happy Meal toy will no longer have to resort to ordering lunch in a colorful cardboard box to share in the fun. HUMMER announced today that a new HUMMER toy will join the current lineup of eight that the brand has been stuffing in Happy Meal boxes since the beginning of the month, but this one will only be available at HUMMER dealerships.
The new HUMMER toy is modeled after off-road racing legend Rod Hall's Team HUMMER H3 that has won its class in all 17 off-road races it's entered since being introduced in 2005, including the 2005 Baja 1000 and 2006 Baja 500. Only 250,000 Team HUMMER Rod Hall toys will be produced and you'll have to find a participating dealership to get your greasy hands on one.
Why is Ronald smiling? Because he has the new HUMMER Happy Meal toys before everyone else.
Starting tomorrow, one of eight toy HUMMERS will be packed in each "boy" Happy Meal ("girl" meals will feature Polly Pocket, so don't fret if you've got a daughter, moms and dads). The full HUMMER lineup is represented, from the now-defunct H1 to the H3T Concept pickup. There's even an alternative-fuel H2H, whose hydrogen tank glows green when the car is pushed. It also comes with "Hydrogen" decals that can be applied to the bodywork to ensure maximum political correctness.
Admittedly, the level of detail on the toys is pretty good for a meal throw-in. We might just have to take a ride over to Mickey D's ourselves...
(More Ronald, toy shots, and a press release after the jump)
BMW tuning specialists Hartge Engineering are very familiar with the first rule of hot rod builders everywhere - there's no replacement for displacement. That's exactly the principle they applied to BMW's European entry-level model, the 1 Series, when they gave it an engine transplant from the M5.
The resulting H1 was put through its paces by the crew over at World Car Fans, and as you might expect, a five-liter, 450 hp V8 powerplant gives a 3,185 lb car fairly impressive performance - 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds, with a top speed of 188 mph. Even with the big V8 jammed into the RWD hatchback's engine bay, the front/rear weight distribution is reported as a surprisingly well-balanced 52/48 percent, giving the car handling to match (if not actually control) its massive power. (Follow the link for the full road test.)
The usual suspension upgrades keep the 19-inch wheels in contact with the pavement, and a fairly understated bodykit helps the aero and cooling without succumbing to the boy-racer look.
The price for the pocket rocket is - wait for it - about $128,000. Which brings to mind another hot rodding aphorism - "Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?"
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