Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the HUMMER H3T.

To say that HUMMER's launch timing for the H3T sport-utility-truck couldn't be worse seems like an understatement. Trucks which had been flying out of showrooms just a few short years ago are now languishing on dealer lots. What's more, the entire HUMMER brand could get the axe any day now from (current) parent company General Motors. Still, the H3T is coming to a dealer near you in September, and there's nothing that the General can do but price it competitively and hope for the best. We've got some detailed pricing information pasted after the break, but the short version is that the five-cylinder base model, which comes standard with a five-speed stick, will go for $31,495 and be equipped with the expected four-wheel drive along with 32-inch tires and a clothe interior. Upscale Alpha models get upgraded with the 5.3L V8 hooked to a four-speed automatic, a chrome appearance package and a Monsoon stereo for $36,760.


[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the HUMMER H3T.

HUMMER is on the skids and pickups aren't flying off dealer lots, but if you're smitten with the H3 and need to haul more than its covered cargo bay can handle, the H3T is yours for the taking. Pricing starts at $31,495, including a $745 destination charge -- $850 less than a comparable H3.

For that kind of cash, you get a five-foot-long bed covered with an integrated liner and built-in storage system, full-time electronically controlled four-wheel-drive, 32-inch tires, functional skid plates and the five-year/100,000-mile warranty. The base model will pack the 3.7-liter five-cylinder, but a 5.3-liter V8 will be available, along with Bluetooth integration and an upgraded OnStar system. GM hasn't released details on what that kind of kit will set you back, but you can hit up your local dealer to find out when the H3T goes on sale in September.

Hit the jump for HUMMER's press release and check out our previous post on the H3T.

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.


[Source: Inside Line]

click above for more high-res shots of the 2009 HUMMER H3T

You've got to feel a little bad for the HUMMER H3T. While the rest of the crowd at GM's press conference had their focus set on the unveiling of the 2009 Chevy Traverse, the 2009 HUMMER H3T sat in the corner, all but ignored by camera-toting journos. We, however, know a good thing when we see it (though many of you might disagree). And considering how the H3T is sporting an elongated wheelbase and a five-foot long bed, it remains one of a few significant unveilings here in Chi-town.

Just as a refresher, the H3T gets power from either the anemic 3.7-liter five-cylinder mill we've come to know and loathe or a 5.3-liter V8 when equipped in the top-level Alpha trim. Towing capacity is 5,900 pounds, which should be plenty for a family of four with dirt bikes in tow.

Check out our high-res gallery of live and press shots below and head on over to our original post for all the details on the new HUMMER H3T.

The HUMMER H3T has been much in the news lately, now we finally have some press coverage that doesn't involve broken embargoes. After a few days in the High Sierras putting pre-production versions through boulder-strewn paces, the words from HMR magazine are: it's good!

Once past the marketing-speak -- like "With its unique size and HUMMER traits, the H3T is ideal for the customer who works hard and plays harder" -- the H3T with the Adventure Package put in a proper HUMMER showing: the 5-foot bed hasn't killed the truck's departure angle, the length hasn't ruined its agility, and it even got in the obligatory Jeep smackdown encounter. The H3T also has 160 official aftermarket partners creating a glutton's range of branded accessories.

The public will find out if it's really the lion's roar when it shows up on dealer lots in September. Until then, click the link to get the full review, and Autoblog will bring up the up-close and personal from its debut at next week's Chicago Auto Show.

[Source: PickupTruck.com]

click above to enlarge

The Hummer brand is all about strength and capability, but for some reason the smaller and less capable the Hummer, the better it sells. Talented motorcycle sketch artist Oberdan Bezzi must have had this in mind when he penned the Hummer H2 450 scooter, because the mini-cycle would likely fit in the pickup bed of the upcoming H3T. Bezzi borrowed several Hummer design queues for his moped, including the Hummer gas cap, chunky sheet metal, and we're guessing the seven bar grille. In this instance, the 2 in H2 stands for the amount of wheels and the 450 stands for Bezzi's imaginary 450 cc powerplant.

While we love Bezzi's imaginitive drawings, we're afraid his Hummer-branded scooter made some of our neurons misfire. We don't care how knobby the tires are, scooters and mud just don't mix. Hummer doesn't make scooters for the same reason we don't see Harley Davidson-branded roller skates. Jeep did make the Compass, but we digress. We'd change that opinion, however, if Governor Schwarzenegger drove the two-wheeler to all of his public speaking engagements.

[Source: Scooter Design via Jalopnik]

click above to view 40 high-res images of the HUMMER H3T

Next month in Chicago, GM will finally pull the wraps off the 2009 HUMMER H3T pickup that's received an unceremonious early debut today thanks to Truck Trend. Built on a modified version of the H3's basic architecture, the H3T's 134-inch wheelbase is a whopping 22 inches longer than the 111.9-inch wheelbase found on its SUV sibling. Like the regular H3, both the 3.7L 5-cylinder and 5.3L V8 are available, the latter a part of the top-level Alpha trim. The H3T is a real truck with a separate bed, and is sized in-between the Canyon/Colorado and Silverado/Sierra. By comparison, the short-bed H2 SUT has the same basic dimensions as its enclosed stablemate and relies on an Avalanche-like midgate to create more cargo room.

No such problem exists with the H3T, whose cargo area has standard bedrails as well as additional storage compartments. As you'll see in the enclosed gallery, it can haul a dirt bike with no problem, and when equipped with the V8, it has a maximum towing capacity of 5,900 pounds. Two suspension packages will be offered, one oriented towards off-roading and another that's biased more toward on-road use and trailering. Inside, it's no different than the regular H3 in terms of comfort and instrumentation, and the rear seat of the crew-cab H3T flips down to provide an additional flat cargo space when necessary. Having driven both flavors of H3 as well as the H2 SUT, the H3T (particularly the Alpha) sounds like it might just be the pick of the litter, offering the best balance of power, comfort, and practicality to go with its off-road credentials. We can't wait to try one out for ourselves.

[Source: GM via Pickuptruck.com]

Photo courtesy of Pickuptruck.com editor Mike Levine.

Though the production version of the HUMMER H3T four-door pickup is not supposed to be seen before it debuts in a couple weeks at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, images of the baby HUMMER truck have appeared early in the latest issue of Truck Trend magazine that's apparently on some newsstands and in some mailboxes already. That's because scans of the pics have hit the interweb, giving us an early and unofficial look at the truck.

Captions reveal that the HUMMER H3T will be available with a large number of dealer-installed accessories, including hardware for tying down your ten-speed or securing your (small) motorcycle and storage toolboxes, while GM's familiar bedrail system will be standard. There are reportedly storage bins built into the walls of the bed's plastic liner, and while they're no Ram Box, should be big enough to hold small items like tools and gloves.

We'll have to wait until we arrive in Chicago to tell you more, but we weren't even supposed to know this much, so it's all gravy, baby.

[Source: hummerguy.net]

click above image to enlarge

Though HUMMER H3 SUT mules have been snapped with the long lens before, they're usually heavily guarded and tucked away on GM's proving grounds in Arizona or Milford, MI. For some inexplicable reason, however, this HUMMER H3T prototype has been seen driving around in plain site outside the proving grounds. In fact, it was snapped at the recent Baja 1000 where it played the part of chase vehicle in full pre-production camouflage.

You can see that the production model will indeed have four doors, unlike the short-bed two-door H3T Concept that HUMMER showed us back in 2003. That means the bed is not very big: about 4-feet wide by 4.5- to 5-feet long. You can forget about hauling full-size sheets of plywood, but the H3 HUT will offer additional storage options in the form of cargo boxes in the bed sides, and maybe even a removable lunchbox! Underneath it will be standard H3 fare, which means your choice of the new 295-hp 5.3L V8 or the 242-hp 3.7L inline-five cylinder engine. Production of the 2009 HUMMER H3 SUT is slated to begin in August of 2008 at the automaker's Shreveport plant with an annual production of 35,000 units.

Since the H3 SUT isn't a marquee product, we don't expect we'll see its official debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January. This seems like a good reveal for the Chicago Auto Show in February or the New York Auto Show in late March/early May.

[Photos: Bob Spivey for Brenda Priddy & Co.]

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the 2003 H3T Concept

GM confirmed today that the HUMMER H3T pickup truck will arrive at dealer lots sometime during Q3 of 2008. To prepare for the newest expansion of HUMMER's model lineup, the General is investing $73 million in the Shreveport, LA assembly facility where the H3T will be built. In the press release included after the jump, GM was mum on specifics related to the H3T, saying only that it will be positioned between its current mid- and full-size truck offerings. The photo above depicts the 2003 H3T Concept, but based on the spy shots that have surfaced over the last year, look for the the production vehicle to adopt a crew cab 4-door configuration. We expect to see both the standard-issue I5 and the H3 Alpha's 5.3L V8 available underhood.

[Source: GM]