Posted on 05/13/2006 5:53:02 AM PDT by kellynla
DETROIT -- The 2006 model year will be the last for the Hummer H1, the hulking, gas-guzzling status symbol that has attracted celebrities and off-road enthusiasts but also has drawn the ire of environmentalists.
General Motors Corp. announced plans yesterday for the H1, which is the foundation for the automaker's Hummer brand. Based on the military's Humvee, about 12,000 have been put on the road since 1992.
"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. Mr. 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 Mr. 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. "If you have to worry about the price at the pump, you don't have the money to spend on the vehicle in the first place," said Erich Merkle, an auto analyst with Grand Rapids, Mich., consulting company IRN Inc. "It is such a frivolous purchase."
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
As stylish as a brick on roller skates.....I never understood why anybody liked that box of saltines.
I drove a Hummer (Army kind) in Desert Storm...man, that was a trip driving on sandy roads...and fast. My CSM was riding along and he didn't mind me driving fast...although I had to watch out for those blasted camels! LoL For some reason, they don't want to move...
So what does that say about the women?
Most of the Civilian style Hummer drivers around here were females.
Now most hummers are spotted on the used car lots.
Boy, that's a relief! Here I thought that GM was going belly up.
now buying one of the surplus armored Army/Marine Corps Humvees would be excellent!
"Can I get a 50 cal?" LOL
I'm amazed that the book price on a 5-year used H1 is over $50,000 according to Edmunds!
B) If you've never put one through it's paces offroad, you have no clue of what you're missing.
If I wanted a nice 4x4 for over $100K, I would look at a Unimog. They're ugly, but they work.
Agreed. I've never thought much of the H2--a Tahoe with a few minor tweaks, only less useful. Now the H3, from some things I've read, is actually more practical and competitive in its market segment, even if it is still ass-ugly.
The H1, of course, is still a specialist vehicle. Most of them I've seen have been rolling billboards for businesses (the local Outback Steakhouse franchisee has one gussied up with a fancy Outback paintjob).
}:-)4
I thought the H1 was pretty much the same vehicle as the real deal, drive train-wise. I know the H2 and H3 are softened up.
Spare us the "social scientist's rhapsodic view" of what the Hummer means "psycho-socially" as a statement of late blooming "X-genner's" rejection of it father's wretched excesses in the automobile as a social statement of cultural milieu.
The damn things are as ugly as home-made soap or a mud fence...and almost as ugly as the the dolts who smugly drive them.
The H1 was close but the others were sheep in wolf's clothing.
I had the use of a real one in the early 90s. Would like to have it today. That critter was puurrrrddy.
After my recent accident...
There is a used, less costly, YELLOW Hummer out there somewhere waiting for me!
Wow, someone here besides me knows of the Unimog. A place I used to work for years ago had Unimog heavy duty vehicles for their municipality. What was so cool was that we could change the back of the vehicle into a dumpster, a ditch mower, a small garbage vehicle, and even a snow plow. Very versatile and a dream to drive. Reminded me a huge catepillar.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.