Hummer Goes Bye-bye

[Z77 3]

Its kind of sad that this is happening, but in my opinion, i am glad. At least we wont be giving an Iconic American automobile to another country. Plus, these SUV's were pretty gas guzzling and i really didn't like the window size. I just hope that this phasing out of automobiles is over with because i can not stand seeing another american brand, especially a GM brand, being thrown in the dust.

 

A Deal Sours, and the Hummer Bites the Dust

 

AP – Seal White looks into a new GM 2010 H3 Hummer Alpha Flex-Fuel model on sale at the Team Chevrolet Hummer …

By AUSTIN RAMZY / BEIJING 

– 

48 mins ago

GM's efforts to sell its Hummer brand to a little-known Chinese company have fallen apart, the U.S. automaker announced Wednesday. As a result, GM will begin to dismantle a brand of gas-guzzling SUVs that were synonymous with pre-financial crisis wealth and excess.

 

Specific reasons for the failure of the deal, first announced last June, were not released. But Chinese regulators had frowned on the purchase for much the same reason that U.S. consumers shunned Hummer; the vehicles size and 

poor fuel economy

 were incompatible in an era of high fuel prices, general economic weakness and greater concern about the harmful effects of vehicle emissions on the environment. 

(See the 50 worst cars of all time.)

The 

Chinese government

 also wants to control a sprawling domestic auto industry that has expanded to more than 100 carmakers nationwide. The purchase of Hummer by Sichuan Tengzhong 

Heavy Industrial Machinery

, a private company that manufacturers heavy vehicles and road building equipment, would have only contributed to the diffusion. "The purchase of this brand is not a match for 

China

," says Yale Zhang, a China market analyst auto-industry consultants CSM Worldwide. "The government's general policies about efficiency and environmental protection and number two about consolidation, it is all about these two very broad, general policies. This purchase does not match those."

The Chinese company indicated that it wanted to put the Hummer on a diet and produce a leaner, more fuel-efficient version of the behemoth vehicles, which topped out at 15 miles per gallon for the once-popular two-and-a-half ton H3 model. A descendant of the U.S. military's humvee, which was built by AM General, Hummer peaked in popularity in 2006, when it sold more than 70,000 vehicles. By last year sales had fallen to 9,000. 

(See pictures of the best-selling cars in China.)

GM first put the brand up for sale in 2008, hoping to raise as much as $500 million. The Tengzhong offer was estimated to be closer to $150 million. "We have since considered a number of possibilities for Hummer along the way, and we are disappointed that the deal with Tengzhong could not be completed," John Smith, GM's vice president of corporate planning and alliances, said in a written statement released Feb. 24. "GM will now work closely with Hummer employees, dealers and suppliers to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Good riddance. It is nothing but a potlatch.

[Zelgadis 638]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Good riddance. It is nothing but a potlatch.quote>

Agreed.

Those things are a menace to the road, ugly, and impractical.  I was biting my nails worried about whether or not Saab would survive.  Fortunately, it will.  Hummer is just a lot of dead weight.

GM has had way too many brands for a long time and it's about time the consolidated.  What puzzles me though is that they decided to give Pontiac the axe instead of Buick.  Pontiac was selling twice as many cars as Buick was.  Why axe the higher seller?

ISF

[Muck308 55]

Originally posted by: Zelgadis

Those things are a menace to the road, ugly, and impractical.  I was biting my nails worried about whether or not Saab would survive.  Fortunately, it will.  quote>

Get out. A gay guy who likes Saabs?

 What puzzles me though is that they decided to give Pontiac the axe instead of Buick.  Pontiac was selling twice as many cars as Buick was.  Why axe the higher seller?

quote>

Sales aside, the Buicks of the last 5 years are, IMO, gorgeous automobiles. Pontiac was a "cool" brand when I was a lad, but nowadays they are garbage. The Sunfire is the perfect example of how not to design a car. The g5 was a good replacement for the Sunfire though, and they certainly seemed to have sold a lot of g6's. In the end, Pontiac was too much like Chevy. No need to compete with yourself.

I say good riddance to Hummer. Now to remove the remaining behemoths from our raodways.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Zelgadis

GM has had way too many brands for a long time and it's about time the consolidated.  What puzzles me though is that they decided to give Pontiac the axe instead of Buick.  Pontiac was selling twice as many cars as Buick was.  Why axe the higher seller?

ISF

quote>

Buick is the test-bed for Cadillac.  New things that are destined for the Caddy line are brought out on Buick first.  At one point both Buick and Oldsmobile were test beds, but the Olds line had to die because of the lack of popularity.  Pontiac was just a pimped up Chev, and there really is no place for it in the lean, mean, new GM.

Note the recent emphasis on GM Trucks.  Expect them to replace the Chevy trucks in the future.  All they need to do is downsize some of the GM Trucks line and do a little media work.

Watch for a more than controlled release of the Chevy Volt, soon.

[Fresh Prince of Wmbg 44]

I can stop worry about my Civic being smacked into a H2's grill very soon...... Then I only have to worry about Explorers, Expoditons, and Big Rigs!

[Larks2242 251]

I have no idea why anyone would buy one in the 1st place.

[clhigh7 583]

=( i love hummers

[830point35 8]

Hopefully the decision was really market conditions and not because of whiners who try to tell me I am evil for my choice of automobile.

[Muck308 55]

It's not evil, just silly. It's like we are all at the park walking our dogs... and then someone comes by with their elephant. Just a fact of life I suppose.

[Larks2242 251]

Originally posted by: Muck308

It's not evil, just silly. It's like we are all at the park walking our dogs... and then someone comes by with their elephant. Just a fact of life I suppose. quote>

It's because they can and they feel powerful

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Originally posted by: Zelgadis

GM has had way too many brands for a long time and it's about time the consolidated.  What puzzles me though is that they decided to give Pontiac the axe instead of Buick.  Pontiac was selling twice as many cars as Buick was.  Why axe the higher seller?

ISF

quote>

Note the recent emphasis on GM Trucks.  Expect them to replace the Chevy trucks in the future.  All they need to do is downsize some of the GM Trucks line and do a little media work. quote>

No all they need to do is change the grill. a GM truck of comparable sizes is a Chevy Truck with an alternate label.

good riddence to The Hummer, why woory about a brand thats only been around for a few years.

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: 830point35

Hopefully the decision was really market conditions and not because of whiners who try to tell me I am evil for my choice of automobile.quote>

The two go hand in hand, really. People raising bad publicity about Hummers = fewer people want to buy a Hummer = fewer Hummers sold = it's no longer profitable to make them.

Of course, the fact remains that a hummer is a toy, not a car that just serves a utilitarian function. In a down economy, people aren't going to go for that. And now that gas isn't going to be cheap ever again in an up economy, people won't be too keen on it then, either.

The Hummer just kind of falls into a hole here because it consumes extra fuel without having any practical reason for doing so (a Minivan or SUV is a different story), but at the same time it isn't a luxury thing for people with money to play with either (a Jaguar or Ferrari is also a different story).

[fukuda 351]

If only "H2" actually meant hydrogen-powered...

[jigsaw 227]

good riddance to the hummer. one less garbage import into australia.

if GM wants to survive, why dont they break with trend and focus on being the first all-electric or hydrogen car company? everyone is going to move that way eventually, and instead of trying to survive in its aged form, re-invent yourself for the 21st century and become the leader of the new direction.

with all the money pumped into the industry by the government just to survive and sell really poor quality cars, it seems a wasted opportunity to lead the world in future automobile technology.

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: Zelgadis

I was biting my nails worried about whether or not Saab would survive.  Fortunately, it will.quote>

Saab's long-term survival is somewhat questionable.  GM has considered giving Saab the ax long before GM got into the mess it is in now.

What puzzles me though is that they decided to give Pontiac the axe instead of Buick.  Pontiac was selling twice as many cars as Buick was.  Why axe the higher seller?quote>

Four words: "Higher per unit profit."

Most people don't realize this, but the American automakers make very little money on most of the cars they sell.  That $25,000 Chevy Impala you just bought?  GM is lucky if it made $750 off that vehicle.  Contrast this with luxury vehicles (which Buick is considered) that can pull $15,000 in profit per vehicle for the automaker.  At those returns, for every Buick GM sells the company needs to sell 20 Pontiacs to make the same amount of money. Pontiac wasn't outselling Buick 20:1 so Pontiac was shelved.

Originally posted by: jigsaw

if GM wants to survive, why dont they break with trend and focus on being the first all-electric or hydrogen car company? everyone is going to move that way eventually, and instead of trying to survive in its aged form, re-invent yourself for the 21st century and become the leader of the new direction.quote>

That is pushing too much, too soon.  The networks don't exist for mass use of hydrogen powered vehicles, and the idea of electric vehicles only works with cars.  Pickup trucks are not ready to be moved to all electric systems (hell, the automakers had trouble adapting them for hybrid systems).  Having a solid pickup truck lineup is an important part of any automakers product line; the demands of construction contractors have significant weight when a company (re)designs a pickup truck, and very few construction contractors care about the environment or your beliefs on the values of hybrid/"alternative fuel source" vehicles.  They want durable trucks that will perform well under the demands of the job, and that means outfitting these vehicles with strong gas/diesel engines (which incidentally, don't take too well to being transformed into hybrid engine systems).

[nofunk 1,933]

Cry me a river.

[Zelgadis 638]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

 Buick is the test-bed for Cadillac.  New things that are destined for the Caddy line are brought out on Buick first.  At one point both Buick and Oldsmobile were test beds, but the Olds line had to die because of the lack of popularity.  

quote>

I can see how that was once true, but I'm afraid I can't see how that applies now.  It seems rather clear from both marketing and product line that Buick and Cadillac are now aiming at two entirely different audiences.  Buick seems to be targeting the lower-end side of Lexus and other makers of large, whisper-quiet, smooth cars.  Cadillac has morphed into an Audi/BMW fighter, with emphasis on speed and performance.  

For the moment, GM isn't making hardly anything on Pontiacs or Buicks.  (I used to sell cars, and I know a lot about the Big Three profit margins, particularly for GM, since we were a Cadillac/Hummer/Saab/Subaru dealer.)  Cadillac was really the only GM division making any real money when the poo hit the fan.  

As for Saab, yes, it's been in trouble for a long time, but only because GM drove it into ruins.  Selling it to a quirky little company like Spyker was just perfect.  It's Saab's best chance to be revived into a brand which once again has character.  

ISF

[JanYpe 17]

Originally posted by: Zelgadis

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

 Buick is the test-bed for Cadillac.  New things that are destined for the Caddy line are brought out on Buick first.  At one point both Buick and Oldsmobile were test beds, but the Olds line had to die because of the lack of popularity.  

quote>

I can see how that was once true, but I'm afraid I can't see how that applies now.  It seems rather clear from both marketing and product line that Buick and Cadillac are now aiming at two entirely different audiences.  Buick seems to be targeting the lower-end side of Lexus and other makers of large, whisper-quiet, smooth cars.  Cadillac has morphed into an Audi/BMW fighter, with emphasis on speed and performance.  

For the moment, GM isn't making hardly anything on Pontiacs or Buicks.  (I used to sell cars, and I know a lot about the Big Three profit margins, particularly for GM, since we were a Cadillac/Hummer/Saab/Subaru dealer.)  Cadillac was really the only GM division making any real money when the poo hit the fan.  

As for Saab, yes, it's been in trouble for a long time, but only because GM drove it into ruins.  Selling it to a quirky little company like Spyker was just perfect.  It's Saab's best chance to be revived into a brand which once again has character.  

ISF

quote>

And character is nice. Unfortunately Spyker´s main quirk so far has been its spectacular ability to avoid turning any sort of long-term profit, so the Saab brand isn't exactly out of the woods just yet.

[jdenm8 362]

GM should have just ripped off the Commodore completely and then maybe Pontiac would have survived. Just like calling the Monaro the Monaro not the GTO (which was stoopid!)

Hummer had its place in the world... Getting chopped in half and lengthened and used as transport to concerts. They were that kind of car that made you turn your head and think: 'Ooh, a Hummer! Let's get four kilometers away so he (I have never seen a woman drive a Hummer) can pass in the other direction (Even with Brisbane's liberal lane widths, Hummers still seemed to be wider)' and made small boys piddle themselves in excitement. Then, the Nissan Skyline R (series) replaced it in the piddle-the-pants-in-excitement-o-meter.

Hummers were an oddity, like Japanese Cars in the seventies (All of them) and the Lamborghini Countach in the eighties (mmmmm), the Hummer was the ninties. It was past its time and it was time for it to go.

Like fins and chrome, it is the passing of an Icon. A petrol-gussling, motorway-consuming, child-eating icon.

On Spyker, Ever since Damiler-Benz bought them out in the late eighties then promptly disposed of them, Spyker hasn't turned a profit. But isn't that the motto of bespoke, limited-number car makers that make cars go like stink?

Edited - derogatory language.

-beebs

Jdenm8: I apologise to anybody that may have been insulted at my misguided (and out of line) statement.

[Z77 3]

Hummer was one of those brands that was created simply for being a historic american icon. It was designed to be sort of a civilian Humvee, so when people saw one on the news in Iraq, Kuwait, etc. they would want one because it was, simply put, American. But it has definitely seen its day and is no longer feasible in the current economy and world.

IMO the Hummer was a neat car and personally (go ahead and shoot me now) im not too into saving the environment and things like that. Driving one was fun and neat, and if i had money i might buy one. But it does use too much gasoline, and nowadays, thats a huge mistake, with everything moving to fuel-efficient 4-cylinders and what not.

[fukuda 351]

Well, sincerely, if I had the money and wanted to have a flashy car I'd buy something more fun like a ferrari or a lamborghini, not a boxy troop vehicle

[Vahr 343]

Unless you like military tastes

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Since I don't drive anymore, if I had my druthers for a chauffeur driven vehicle, I would look not to GM but to Ford.  Nothing compares to a Lincoln limousine.  I'd settle for a Town Car if I couldn't get the limo, though.

[Larks2242 251]

Originally posted by: Blue Lightning

Unless you like military tastes quote>

They buy a Jeep

[sneakeypete 16]

As far as i'm aware the H1 hummers came with all the drivetrain and suspension goodies that the military version came with, so those could be certainly considered "useful" for serious four wheel driving. The H2 and H3... no, just no.

[chicah 20]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo! What will happen to the cop shows now? I've began associating hummers with police after watching all those American crime shows.

[Larks2242 251]

Originally posted by: chicah

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo! What will happen to the cop shows now? I've began associating hummers with police after watching all those American crime shows.quote>

Umm..I think you are referring to the Dodge charger

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Larks2242

Originally posted by: chicah

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo! What will happen to the cop shows now? I've began associating hummers with police after watching all those American crime shows.quote>

Umm..I think you are referring to the Dodge charger quote>

I think he's been watching CSI Miami.

But anyway, folks, we can expect to see a lot of Crown Victorias in cop shows now.  That seems to be the standard police vehicle around here, anyway.  "Ford", said Big Henry, "Ford, Ford, Ford" Aldous Huxley in Brave New World.

[Duke87 1,070]

Cop cars are traditionally Crown Vics without hubcaps. Even the "unmarked" ones (there's your trick for spotting them...).

On the other hand, in the past few years, in an effort to be "green", some jurisdictions have started fitting out Priuses as cop cars... which is hilarious.

I mean, it looks ridiculous. I see cops in a Crown Vic and I know they mean business. I see cops in a Prius and have trouble talking them seriously.  Same goes for Cops on Segways (laughed my ass off when I saw this in Norfolk). Just doesn't fit the "tough guy" image you want cops to have.

Way to emasculate your boys in blue...

Can't say I've ever seen cops in a Hummer, though. Maybe it's a regional thing...