From: Darrell Ramsell (daram@comcast.net)
Date: Sat May 13 2006 - 14:54:27 PDT
I think the biggest detraction for the H-1 was it high price tag. I'm sure
Also, with the new Duramax & Allison transmission combination I've heard the
Why not sell a commercial version of the H1?
MV has an excellent point. I can see a lot of options for this. Off road
I think because GM is bleeding so hard at the moment they are making panic
Darrell
----- Original Message -----
> GM - a bunch of idiots trying to make things.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Tue Jul 18 2006 - 21:45:43 PDT
it could have been sold for much less and still make a decent profit. Hell,
they make & sell enough to the military at a much lower price.
MPG can get as high as 22 mpg.
fire & rescue trucks, SWAT vehicles, recovery truck and more.
cuts. Oh well.
From: "MV" <MV@dc9.tzo.com>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 7:39 AM
Subject: Re: [MV] General Motors to End Hummer H1 Production
>
> Their decision making ability is dismal.
>
> Example: GM Heavy truck division sold to Volvo - now Volvo truck - uh...
> have you seen just a couple of Volvo trucks on the road?
>
> The list of extremely poor decisions is very long.
>
> Why not sell a commercial version of the H1? And use it for it's design
> purpose, a very rugged off road vehicle? And wow, why not put a diesel
> engine in the civilian H1 again? What an idea!! How about the diesel
> that they already put in the pickups??
>
> My diesel powered Ford Excursion - 8,000 lbs empty, and it never is
> empty - gets a real 18+ mpg. Ford would never advertise the mpg of the
> diesel Excursion. The public perception was that it is a gas hog. Yep,
> the gas ones were gas hogs. Don't buy a gas version! My truck gets
> better gas mileage than most of the small gas powered Explorers.
>
> If only these guys had a clue about how to run a company. Unfortunately
> all of the guys who actually grew General Motors and Ford are dead.
> Apparently now the only guys in control are bean counters and since they
> don't make beans, they are screwed.
>
> Dave
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> Glen Closson wrote:
>>
>> http://enews.earthlink.net/article/bus?guid=20060512/44640840_3ca6_155262006
>> 0512-1067585589
>>
>> DETROIT - Get ready to say goodbye to the Hummer H1, the hulking,
>> gas-guzzling status symbol that has attracted celebrities and off-road
>> enthusiasts but has drawn the ire of environmentalists.
>>
>> General Motors Corp. said Friday that the 2006 model year will be the
>> last
>> for the H1, which has been the foundation for the automaker's Hummer
>> brand.
>> Based on the military's Humvee, the about 12,000 put on the road since
>> 1992
>> defined the Hummer name.
>>
>> "It's a reflection of where we're going with the Hummer brand," Hummer
>> general manager Martin Walsh said of the decision. "The Hummer DNA still
>> resides in the Humvee. ... It will always be the core from where we
>> come."
>>
>> GM expects the last H1s to be built next month.
>>
>> Walsh said Hummer plans to focus on models with broader appeal instead of
>> the niche-market H1. Since taking over the Hummer name in 2000, GM has
>> introduced the still hefty H2 and a midsize H3 sport utility vehicle.
>>
>> The H1 gets about 10 miles per gallon, but Walsh said rising gas prices
>> didn't factor into GM's decision. He noted that H1 buyers typically have
>> been less sensitive about gas prices than most other drivers.
>>
>> Auto analyst Erich Merkle with the Grand Rapids consulting company IRN
>> Inc.
>> said the decision fits with steps GM has taken to bring the Hummer brand
>> to
>> more mainstream drivers with the H2 and H3.
>>
>> "They're going to continue moving Hummer in that direction," Merkle said.
>> "It's a great brand. There is a lot that can be done with that in terms
>> of
>> leveraging its ruggedness and toughness."
>>
>> Merkle added that the kind of drivers who buy the H1 don't worry about
>> things like gas prices.
>>
>> "It's really one of those over-the-top vehicles," Merkle said. "It
>> doesn't
>> really have much of a place in everyday society. You can't put it in the
>> parking ramps. Parking spaces can't accommodate it."
>>
>> The H1 attracted well-heeled drivers looking for a military-style vehicle
>> with an intimidating stance. For the 2006 model year, the H1 was offered
>> as
>> a high-performance H1 Alpha that costs about $130,000 to $140,000. The
>> 2004
>> model year H1 sold at a base price of about $106,000.
>>
>> The vehicle first was marketed to the public as the Hummer in 1992 by AM
>> General, which also makes the military version. Under a 1999 deal, GM
>> bought
>> marketing rights to the Hummer name and called the vehicle the Hummer H1.
>>
>> Hummers often have been associated with celebrities who owned them, such
>> as
>> actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was AM General's first civilian customer,
>> buying a custom-made conversion of the military model as well as civilian
>> production models.
>>
>> Schwarzenegger once owned a fleet of Hummers but now has just three. The
>> California governor's aides say he rarely drives them anymore.
>>
>> The Hummer's critics include the Sierra Club, which has faulted the
>> vehicle
>> for its bulk and poor gas mileage. Dan Becker, director of the Sierra
>> Club's
>> global warming program, welcomed the news, which comes as Congress
>> tackles
>> fuel economy standards and some drivers face $3 gas prices.
>>
>> "The timing is pretty amazing," Becker said.
>>
>> Last year, GM sold 374 H1s, down 16 percent from 447 in 2004.
>>
>> GM is working to turn around its North American automotive operations and
>> this week announced its first quarterly profit since 2004. Last year it
>> announced plans to cut 30,000 jobs and close 12 facilities by 2008. It
>> also
>> has stockpiled parts in case workers at supplier Delphi Corp. go on
>> strike.
>>
>> AM General, which builds the H1, H2 and Humvee in Mishawaka, Ind., said
>> it
>> doesn't plan to cut any jobs as a result of the decision. It said workers
>> there were expected to be shifted to military production.
>>
>> With the war in Iraq, the end of H1 production comes at a time when
>> military
>> demand for Humvee has increased, said AM General spokesman Craig MacNab.
>> Publicity surrounding the Humvee in the Persian Gulf War - and the drop
>> in
>> military demand afterward - helped lead to the civilian model.
>>
>> "The military production is way up, the civilian production is way down,"
>> MacNab said. "You can't make a business case for making any investment in
>> the civilian vehicle. ... It's a good time to stop."
>>
>> ---
>>
>> On the Net:
>>
>> Hummer: http://www.hummer.com
>>
>> General Motors Corp.: http://www.gm.com
>>
>> AM General: http://www.amgeneral.com
>>
>>
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