Interesting read regarding hummers

[EB-maen]

http://www.goldcoast.citysearch.com.au/profile?id=46616

Hummer invasion

Our pick
The baby version of the US military's favourite 4WD is eyeing Australia.

Editorial

Four-wheel drive backlash? What backlash? Just when you thought Australia had enough four-wheel drives Holden is reportedly considering selling the latest baby Hummer.

General Motors vice-chairman for product development, Bob Lutz - the person who fast-tracked the Monaro's export to the United States - sees an international future for the go-anywhere military lookalike four-wheel drive, reports on-line industry journal, goauto.com.au.

Holden chairman and managing director Denny Mooney, says Lutz is "playing around" with the idea of Hummer being more of a global brand. The website says that Lutz feels the Australian market could be a natural for a rugged, outback kind of vehicle.

According to goauto.com.au, Lutz's desire to spread the Hummer brand could reflect sliding sales in the US, where rising fuel prices have had an impact. Sales of the full-size H1 are down 65 per cent this year compared with 2003 and sales of the smaller sibling, the H2, are down 27 per cent.

"We've got enough on our platter at the moment, frankly. Bob has bugged me about it more than I have thought about it," the website quotes Mooney as saying.

Because of its bulk, the original H1 military vehicle does not appear to be under consideration for Australia. The smaller H2 is not presently available in right-hand drive. But the even smaller Hummer, the H3, could be a possibility.

The H3, which made its debut at the recent California motor show, would appear to be the best prospect and Mooney says the vehicle's architecture could allow a right-hand drive conversion.

It is likely it would follow the arrival of another American icon, Cadillac. Despite strenuous denials by Holden, General Motors executives in the US have said the revival of the Cadillac brand in Australia is a formality and imminent.

How many Hummers are there?
H1 is the most closely related to the military vehicle; the others simply have the military look. The H1 is powered by a 6.5-litre turbodiesel V8 engine that produces 152kW, hauling a kerb weight of 3428kg. It comes as a wagon or an open top.

H2 is the first of the GM-inspired vehicles with the Hummer look and is powered by a 6.0-litre V8 petrol engine that produces 242kW. It weighs 2909kg and is sold as a wagon or, in the latest version, as a four-door vehicle with a small utility tray at the back.

H3 is powered by a 3.5-litre turbocharged in-line five-cylinder petrol engine that produces 260kW. It is claimed to match the V8 H2 in acceleration. It is 430mm shorter, 152mm lower and 165mm narrower than the H2 and it sits on a three-piece welded ladder frame with boxed sections for strength. It has torsion bar front suspension and a multi-leaf-sprung rear suspension and is claimed to be able to ford water up to 61cm deep and to be able to climb 40cm vertical steps.

go the h3