Autoblog

Click above for hi-res gallery of the HUMMER H3T

If HUMMER had a theme song, it'd probably be the Allman Brothers' Whipping Post -- the one that goes "Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel, like I been tied to the whipping post..." The brand has been the go-to effigy when something needs to burn on the altar of eco desecration. But HUMMER doesn't have a theme song, it has the tagline "Like No Other." It also has a new pick-em-up truck we had the chance to drive recently in the High Sierras: the H3T. Follow the jump to find out if it's another HUMMER like no other, and check out the gallery of hi-res images below.

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.

[Source: USAToday via Winding Road]

An intriguingly-named group of Russian environmental activists, "Peter Antiglobalism," wanted to make a statement about the pernicious effects of consumerism. What they needed was something they could pelt with rotten dairy goods and vegetables. What they got was a Russian man who agreed to let them throw the aforementioned foodstuffs at his HUMMER H3.

The unidentified H3 owner has said he'll auction the vehicle and give the proceeds to charity. He gave no indication if this in any way signifies how he feels about his H3, HUMMERs in general, or consumerism -- but hey, it's a good deed for charity, so it can't be all bad. And if you're looking for a bargain on a HUMMER needing nothing more than a good detailing, you'll want to head Moscow way.

[Source: Yahoo!]

Click the image above for more high-res shots.

HUMMER dealers in Europe will be offering up 50 tricked-out H3 Adventure models to buyers looking for something even more sinister than your run-of-the-mill mud-plugger. The H3 Black Edition gets €5,000 worth of extra kit, along with a matte-black grille, mirrors, door handles, side steps, roof bars and powder-coated wheels. 25 of the 50 Black Edition H3s will get a sunroof and all models will come equipped with an integrated Kenwood navigations system.

Check the press release after the jump for all the details.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Click image to enlarge

>Well now, doesn't this look like fun? HUMMER's H3R SEMA concept takes an off-road racing theme and then dials it up well past the maximum. You see, in addition to being lifted four inches and decked out in all manner of butch accessories like 20" rims wrapped in 35" Mickey Thompsons, a bull bar, and enough lights to illuminate Giants Stadium, the biggest story of all is the LS7 someone swiped from a Corvette Z06 and dropped under the H3's hood. That hood, by the way, incorporates a Lexan panel -- all the better to show off the 500-horse V8 stuffed beneath it.

The interior's also overhauled, fitted with racing buckets, a window net, upgraded trim, and a deleted back seat. The spare tire gets moved into the cargo area, and a jerry can takes its vacated spot on the carrier in back. The LS7 exhales through a quad-outlet exhaust that's integrated into the rear bumper. This is fairly badass, to be sure. A full breakdown of the numerous mods can be found after the jump. One thing you won't read in the release is that HUMMER will be gauging reaction to both this show truck and the H2 Safari concept that'll be parked next to it at SEMA. According to our source, if the reaction's good, limited-edition production versions are a fair bet. Don't expect to see the LS7 in a consumer-grade H3R, however. If that project does happen, the 5.3L V8 from the H3 Alpha would be used, instead.

[Source: GM]

Germany's GeigerCars has an affinity for American metal, and is unafraid to go to wacky extremes in its efforts to create its customized whips. Often, HUMMER provides the canvas for these tuners with dubs on their brains, and the arrival of the V8-powered H3 Alpha has inspired them to whip up a new ground pounder. The result is the HUMMER H3 GT you see here. An engine software tune, new intake, and sport exhaust (note the dual outlets in back) boost the Alpha's numbers to 335 horsepower and 323 lb-ft of torque. The rig is also dropped, given uprated brakes and a set of 23" rims. The windows get the blackout treatment, as do the taillamps and markers in front. Finally, the bodywork is given a monochrome finish accented with a racing stripe in whatever color the owner chooses. On the green tip, GeigerCars can also rig the H3 to run on natural gas, reducing emissions up to 20%. It's all laid out in the press release after the jump. You see? The Germans know how to roll with mad flavor, too.

[Source: GeigerCars.de]

The addition of GM's 5.3L V8 to the HUMMER H3 Alpha for 2008 has resulted in some trickle-down goodness for the SUV's pickup truck platform-mate, the Chevy Colorado. PickupTruck.com is reporting that the smaller Chevy truck will indeed receive the same infusion of V8 power in 2008. We've driven both the Silverado and the GMC Sierra with that engine, and we liked it a lot in the big trucks. Imagining it in the Colorado has grins spreading across our faces, as it will certainly add a good amount of pop, and with the 5.3's cylinder deactivation system, it should also be respectable at the pump, considering it'll have a lot less truck to move around than with the GMT900.

The addition of the 295-horse V8 will catapult the Colorado to the top of the heap in the midsize pickup segment in terms of power, edging the new Dodge Dakota (290 hp), and putting it well beyond the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger (numbers 1 & 2 respectively on the sales charts). GM's been teasing everyone with V8-powered small concept pickups for a while now, and though it won't officially confirm or deny the report (a spokesman only says, "stay tuned"), it sure looks like the General's finally decided to give us the real thing. Good.

[Source: PickupTruck.com]

The Hummer brand was taking a serious hits due to $3+ per gallon gasoline, but the H3 came out in the knick of time to bail out the General and its dealers. Now sales aren't looking bad at all, and with the upgraded H2 and the upcoming V8 H3, the future is looking bright for GM's bling'd-up Jeep fighter.

Now the General is looking to add another 35,000 annual units into the Hummer sales log with the addition of the H3T, which sports four doors and a 4x4 pickup bed. Our friends over at PickupTruck.com tell us that the four door model was chosen over the two-door concept from the 2003 LA Auto Show because it was less expensive to modify the existing vehicle. The H3T cargo area will feature plenty of options for customization, including hard tonneau covers, lockable cargo covers, a removable lunch box/tool box, and various storage boxes that run either the length or width of the bed. Engine choices will be the 245 hp 3.7l, and the 295 hp 5.3l V8 from the H3 Alpha concept.

Production of the H3T will begin in 2008, with deliveries scheduled for the third or fourth quarter. While the two-door pickup concept from the LA show was quite the looker, we're thinking that more people would want the utility of four doors, and at only 35,000 units, we can see why doing both would be expensive.

[Source: PickupTruck.com]

There's no better moment than the day after Earth Day to announce a new smaller, kinder, gentler Hummer. Martin Walsh, Hummer's general manager, said "Our growth will be downwards in terms of size," and that begins with the now-official H4. Walsh also indicated there might be a smaller model than the H4 if need be.

The H4 comes below the H3 in the pecking order, meant as a compact SUV to go against competitors like the Nissan Murano. As such, Walsh said the H4 would be built on an upcoming compact GM platform, but didn't say which one. As long as Hummer-philes get the same gruff styling cues and useful ability in the dirty stuff, that shouldn't be a problem. Hummer insiders are apparently fretting that GM might "go soft" with the H4, but even Walsh readily admits, "We have to offer legitimate off-road capability."

Last year Hummer sold 56,000 H3's and 14,000 H2's. The H4 could bump those numbers up by an additional 40,000 units. Also in the pipeline are "bio-fuel powertrains '...in every single vehicle application," an H3 SUT, and even though it was ruled out late last year, news out of Australia is that a hybrid could even be in the works. It's a new day indeed. As for the H4, sources tell us to look for a preview of it in concept guise during next year's auto show circuit, likely in Detroit.

[Source: GoAuto via Top Speed]

Click image for photo gallery

Automobile magazine, Jalopnik, Hummerguy.net has kissed the 2008 HUMMER embargo good-bye, so here's the skinny on the '08 H3 Alpha.

For 2008, HUMMER has addressed one of the sticking points many people have had with the smaller H3 model, namely, the lack of a V8 engine. While the 3.7L inline 5 has adequate power to shuttle the H3 around, the burble of a V8's exhaust note and the associated extra thrust would certainly have been more in keeping with the brand image created by the monster-sized H1 and solidified by the more-realistic H2.

With the return of the Alpha moniker last seen on the top-end H1, HUMMER fixed the H3's biggest problem. The Alpha, you see, has 5.3 liters of V8 power underhood. Read on after the jump.

[Source: HUMMER]