Hummer logo
2003 [[Hummer H2 SUV, accessorized with roof rack, running lights, and step rails]]
HUMMER is a
marque of vehicles sold by
General Motors. For the military vehicles of which the trademark is based see HMMWV.
History
Hummers are built by
AM General Corporation, formerly the heavy industries division of
American Motors. AM General had planned to sell a civilian version of the Hummer as far back as the late
1980s. In 1990, two matching white Hummers were driven from
London,
UK to
Beijing,
China over the rough roads of the central
Soviet Union. The Hummers made the drive with ease, and highlights of this journey were broadcast on
ESPN in the United States. The publicity would pale in comparison to the attention that the Hummer received for its service in Operation: Desert Storm the following year.
In 1991,
AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998
High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) vehicle to the public under the brand name
HUMMER. In 1999, AM General sold the brand name to General Motors but continued to manufacture the vehicles, which GM then re-sold. In the next few years, GM introduced two new homegrown models, the
H2 and
H3, and renamed the original vehicle to H1.
Evaluation
All three Hummer models are large, heavy vehicles with large engines and complex drivelines. They also feature aggressive styling and advertizing. This has made them a target of criticism especially because of poor fuel economy. Many people view Hummers as impractical, a criticism that has also been leveled at many "impractical" vehicles, from the
Dodge Viper and
Chevrolet Corvette to the
Range Rover and
Ford Excursion. However, the fact that the Hummer marque sells only heavy SUVs has made it a focus for this criticism.
Since both the H1 and H2 can weigh over 8,500 lb (GVWR), the United States fuel economy regulations do not apply to them. The company does not disclose expected fuel economy ratings—in fact, the company is not even required to display a
Monroney sticker on these vehicles. However, expected mpg ratings can be derived from their fuel capacity and range ratings. These metrics show that the
Diesel H1 is expected to reach 16 mpg (US), while the H2 should get 9.6 mpg.
Car and Driver magazine observed 12 mpg with their H2 SUT. These ratings, while certainly low, are similar to that of other heavy trucks and SUV's, including the
Dodge Ram and
Durango,
Ford F-Series, and
Expedition/
Excursion/
Lincoln Navigator, and
Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra and
Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon/
Cadillac Escalade.
It should also be noted that other than military units, only around 10,000 total civilian Hummer H1s have been produced. This is a stark contrast to the hundreds of thousands of previously mentioned vehicles such as the
Dodge Ram and
Durango,
Ford F-Series etc. It is enough, however, to cause severe environmental promblems due to it's fuel guzzling nature and high count of highly polluting emissions.
Models
There are three current and possibly two future models in the HUMMER line:
General Motors has announced plans for a type of
cologne branded with the Hummer name.
Famous owners
Rapper
DMX owns a Hummer, as does
President of the United States George W. Bush.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first private citizen to own a Hummer.
External links
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:''For the form of
oral sex, see Hummer.''
Category:Automobile manufacturers
Category:Hummer
Category:General Motors
Category:Off-road vehicles
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