Automotive Journal

Hummers tend to evoke visceral reactions: you either love ‘em or loathe ‘em. With declining sales for the behemoth H2 (perhaps due to the novelty wearing thin, perhaps due to the death of SUV business tax deductions), GM is hoping to boost overall sales by introducing its kinder, gentler and smaller 2006 Hummer H3 this spring.

In many ways the H3 appears to be a bizarre marriage (or in this case offspring) of the H2 and the flat-sided, older model Jeep Cherokees. Even its front grill somewhat resembles a Jeep grill stretched to fit a Hummer. Not so coincidentally, it is Jeep with which the H3 is meant to directly compete. According to Car and Driver, GM invited a few influential car writers to test and write about the H3 off-road capabilities on California’s Rubicon Trail near the Sierra Nevada Mountains—the same famed trail Jeep tests its own 4x4 vehicles on (November 2004).
With GM’s quest to bolster the H3’s tough off-road image, it has conspicuously left out the everyday driver benefits (the sole exception might be the words "lighter and smaller" throughout promotional copy introducing the vehicle). Since the Hummer in all of its conceptions (H1, H2, H2SUT) is essentially a novelty act of the SUV world, designed to boisterously stand out, the H3 is an attempt to cross-over to the mainstream buyer as well as finish out the line of "big, bigger, biggest." The "Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear" trend is the latest auto industry practice of brand extensions particularly within the SUV markets.

The H3 is a little shorter both in overall length and wheelbase than the average mid-size SUV. Compared to the H2, the H3 is 16.8 inches shorter overall and offers a wheelbase that is 10.9 inches shorter. The five-passenger 4x4 vehicle starts at US$ 30,000, a huge drop from the H2’s base of just under $ 53,000, and comes in both 4-speed automatic and 5-speed manual transmission. In case you’re wondering, gas-wise the H3 gets mid-sized SUV, industry-standard 15 miles per gallon in the city and 18 miles per gallon on the highway.

Since it’s hardly a secret that Hummers are the indulgence of affluent, cigar-chomping men (according to Autobytel only 25 percent of Hummer buyers are women), GM hopes the mini-me H3 will appeal to both genders. "Hope" is likely the operative word here. Inside, the vehicle is much more "truckish" in appearance than your luxury SUV or even new Jeep Grand Cherokee. In fact the H3 is based on the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks from dashboard to structural construction to Vortec engines.

While the stereotype of the (male) Hummer owner is ingrained in the US psyche, what is rather surprising is that the same defiant buyers are not necessarily the most loyal owners. According to Josh Jewett, sales manager for a Land Rover/Jaguar dealership in Scottsdale, Arizona, many owners have turned in their H2s after just a year or so. His experience suggests that once Hummer owners have "gotten it out of their systems," they go on to purchase other luxury branded vehicles.

Some might question GM's decision to invest in the Hummer when the SUV market is falling; others may point to this logic as indicative of why GM is doing so lousy overall. It remains to be seen whether GM is on the road to greater ownership loyalty and, more significantly, increased revenue with this new Hummer.
[25-Apr-2005]
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