Hummer H2 sales drop, layoffs in progress

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(metamatic @ Oct 6 2006, 02:12 PM) [snapback]329044[/snapback]</div>

Gas prices are dropping...so sales will pick back up...

Why the EPA lets vehicles like the HUMMER on the road the way they abuse the environment is beyond me...

 

good ridence. too bad the UAW didnt negotiate a clause that would have forced the big 3 to keep employees working. maybe that would force the big 3 to build something that someone would buy

the problem here is that the big 3 can build something that will sell, but they cant do it and make monster profits on those types of vehicles. its beyond me how they can be so stupid as to continue chasing a pipe dream of catering to a male dominated ego trip and sell large SUV's and pickups when so few of these buyers around.

either you can afford to pay $40,000 for the truck or you can afford the $400 a month for the gas, not many can afford both

 

AdSense is hilarious on this page.

Nate

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Oct 6 2006, 02:42 PM) [snapback]329071[/snapback]</div>

The H2 and H3 are basically rebodied Tahoes/Trailblazers, I never understood what the big deal was... The H1 is a different story, and a different price point, i.e., if you have to ask how much gas it uses, you can't afford one.

 

Didn't I read somewhere that the "H1" was being discontinued?

... or did I dream it?

*EDIT* Ah, yes, here it is, although it seems it happened quite some time ago:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2006-05-12-h1_x.htm

Notable quote from the above link:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Oct 6 2006, 03:23 PM) [snapback]329101[/snapback]</div>

Pure marketing. The latest Hummer television commercials, although entertaining, drive home the point that Hummer sales are focused directly on the tough, male 'macho' types (that also have more money than brains). The target market for Tahoes/Trailblazers is much broader.

It's worth noting that it's the same type of marketing used to sell Jeep products, i.e., the 'Trail-Rated' BS that convinces morons they need the rough-riding, high-center-of-gravity, prone-to-rolling-over, 'toughness' of a truck-based, body-on-frame SUV that is rarely, if ever, going to see off-road use.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brandon @ Oct 6 2006, 04:09 PM) [snapback]329119[/snapback]</div>

No Dream! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12758767/

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Oct 6 2006, 01:23 PM) [snapback]329101[/snapback]</div>

The big deal is that the H2 is a rebodied Tahoe plus over 1200 pounds of dead weight added only to exempt the vehicle from fuel economy regulation. The extra weight makes the vehicle extremely inefficient, gives it crappy handling, higher rollover risk, and even worse off road than it could be.

Some H2's have had a front wheel break off under immense weight on a part intended for a lighter vehicle.

Also, some owners have had transmission problems with an automatic that can't handle the sheer mass they are trying to move.

The H2's curb weight (includes fluids, but no people or cargo) is: 6400 pounds.

The Tahoe 4WD's curb weight is: 5192 pounds.

If the H2 really was just a rebodied Tahoe, I don't think it would be such an issue.

A Trailblazer 4WD has a curb weight of 4523 pounds. The H3 has a curb weight of 4700 pounds, much closer to the Trailblazer. The H3 must meet fuel economy standards since GM actually made an effort to keep it lighter. Unfortunately, the H3 only has a 5 cylinder engine, and is 2 seconds SLOWER at 0-60 than my Prius.

Nate

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Oct 6 2006, 04:56 PM) [snapback]329154[/snapback]</div>

I wasn't implying they didn't suck, just wondering what the big deal was such that anyone would want one since they seemed to be very expensive versions of existing Chevy SUVs. I didn't realize the H2 was that bad, though. I guess 50 large doesn't go as far as it used to, though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Oct 6 2006, 01:56 PM) [snapback]329154[/snapback]</div>

I knew the H2 was 6400 lbs but I didn't realize that the H2 had any relationship to the Tahoe or Trailblazer. Is it correct that they are related at all? The current gen Tahoe (recently redesigned for 07) per http://www.chevrolet.com/tahoe/specifications/ is 2WD is 5265 lbs and the 4x4 is 5529 lbs now!

To answer someone else's question (and to add to the above), it's just nuts that H2 is exempt from fuel economy tests (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/which_tested.shtml) and from counting in GM's CAFE numbers (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/cafe/overview.htm) because its GVWR is >8500 lbs.

 

I'm sure that this is somehow due to us buying Toyotas.

I feel bad for the folks being laid off. Yet don't feel too bad for GM. We need Malorn to clear this all up for us.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Oct 6 2006, 03:18 PM) [snapback]329168[/snapback]</div>

Beryl, sorry, thought you meant "what the big deal was" as to why people hate them so much.

Yeah, I never understood their appeal, either.

Nate

 

I have to add to my first post in this thread:

Hummers serve a purpose for our men and women in harms way. I have personally experienced what they can do and where myself and numerous others would be (Or not be) today without them. So, in retrospect, I can say they can be a lifesaver. You surely couldn't do with an old antiquated jeep, what you can in a hummer.

However, I still believe that the decision to open the market and/or design concept to civilians was poor judgement due to the effect they have on the environment.

Later
ITW

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Oct 6 2006, 02:23 PM) [snapback]329101[/snapback]</div>

It's not a matter of finances, the earth can't afford one.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Inthewind @ Oct 6 2006, 06:04 PM) [snapback]329252[/snapback]</div>

The only problem there is that the military Humvee in no way resembles the H2, which is indeed based on the previous generation Tahoe chassis. The H1s were "real" Humvees with various differing powerplants from the military models, but retaining the very capable suspension and frame. Like an earlier poster, I could understand a specialty market for the H1 in the form of ranchers or others needing truly serious rough terrain capability. But the H2 is IMO a poseur cashing in on the macho image of the military vehicle - most of them never see offroad use judging by the lack of brush marks on most examples I've seen - and an unmitigated environmental disaster, to view from what I consider a typical Prius owner's perspective.