Hummer

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This article is about the Hummer vehicle. For other uses, see Hummer (disambiguation).

2006 Hummer lineup: H3, H1, and H2 (L-R)

Hummer is a brand of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) sold by General Motors. Even with the release of the H3, Hummers are some of the largest and least fuel efficient SUVs on the market (getting only a few miles more per gallon than the least efficient[1][2]. They are based on the military High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or Humvee.

Contents 1 History 2 Hummer H1 vs. HMMWV 3 Owner Efforts 4 Enthusiasts 5 Racing 6 Licensing 7 Criticisms 8 Hummers in popular culture 9 Models 10 See also 11 External links 11.1 Company Sites 11.2 Criticism Sites

[edit] History

Hummers were originally built by AM General Corporation, formerly the military and government vehicle division of American Motors, in its Mishawaka, Indiana assembly plant. 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 to Beijing over the rough roads of the central Soviet Union. The Hummers made the trip with ease, for they were built to drive on off-road terrain. The highlights of this journey were broadcast in the United States on ESPN. This publicity would pale in comparison to the attention that the HMMWV 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 or Hum-Vee) vehicle to the public under the brand name "Hummer". According to legend, they began doing so after Arnold Schwarzenegger asked them to; apparently, he was impressed by a convoy of HMMWV's that drove by during his filming Kindergarten Cop in 1990. In 1999, AM General sold the brand name to General Motors but continued to manufacture the vehicles. GM is responsible for the marketing and distribution of all Hummers produced by AM General. In the next few years, GM introduced two new homegrown models, the H2 and H3, and renamed the original vehicle H1. AM General continues to build the H1 and is contracted by GM to produce the H2. The H3 is built in Shreveport, LA alongside the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups.

As of 2004, Hummer has gone international with selected importers and distributors in Europe and other markets.

Since October 10, 2006, GM has been producing the Hummer H3 at its Port Elizabeth plant in South Africa for international markets.[3] Hummers at the Port Elizabeth plant will be built both for local South African consumption and for export to Australia (for the 2008 model year), Europe, the Middle East, and Japan. As of October 2006, Hummer vehicles are marketed by about 300 dealers in 34 countries. 173 of those are in the U.S.

The H2 is also assembled in Kaliningrad, Russia, by Avtotor, starting in June 2004. The plant produces a few hundred vehicles annually, and its output is limited to local consumption (five dealers in Russia initially).

On May 12, 2006, GM announced it would cease production of the original H1 Hummer.[4]

[edit] Hummer H1 vs. HMMWV

The Hummer H1 is basically a HMMWV built for civilian use; it has no armor or weapons fittings. However, the drive-train, frame, body, suspension, etc., are exactly the same. The H1 differs from the HMMWV in having a civilian interior, including trim, comfortable seats, stereo, and air conditioning as standard options. As a result of its commercial use, features introduced in the civilian Hummer have been incorporated into improved military versions. The H1's electrical system is 12 volts, with the two batteries wired in parallel. The HMMWV runs off a 24V system, where the two batteries are run in series to generate 24 volts.

[edit] Owner Efforts

Since all Hummer vehicles have heavy-duty capabilities better than many other SUVs, they have been employed by owners for aid in disaster situations. Hummer Owners Prepared for Emergencies (HOPE) was created by the efforts of The Hummer Club, INC. and the American Red Cross. Together, the two organizations train Hummer owners with CPR and First Aid skills, and basic off-highway skills so that they may assist victims during a disaster situation.[5]

[edit] Enthusiasts

Throughout the US, and international markets, there are groups of Hummer brand enthusiasts. They use the vehicles for off-highway and off-road driving and recreation.

[edit] Racing

Team Hummer Racing was created in 1993 and showcases the Hummer's unique abilities. The team has won numerous off-highway racing titles. The latest was the SCORE International Las Vegas Primm 300, where Rod Hall led an H3 to stock mini class victory. He finished 30 minutes ahead of the closest competitor. [6]

[edit] Licensing

General Motors has been very active and effective in licensing the Hummer brand. Various companies have licensed the Hummer trademarks for use on colognes, flashlights, bicycles [7], laptops [8], apparel, jewelry, CD players and other items. [9]

[edit] Criticisms

Because of low fuel economy, large size, and potentially-destructive use as off-road vehicles, Hummers have been depicted by environmentalists as excessively damaging to the environment, and as an icon of waste and destruction.

In August of 2006, McDonald's rolled out Happy Meals for boys that included toy Hummers [10]. This promotional effort, seen to combine unhealthy fast food with excess oil consumption, was featured at several prominent blogs like Daily Kos [11], AdFreak [12], and others [13] [14] following development of at least one parody site by the Environmental Working Group.

Additionally, despite many positive cameos in popular culture, the Hummer remains a symbol, in some quarters, for material excess and unsustainable consumption. Some Hummer marketers have also had trouble licensing popular music for use in its commercials. Established musical groups, such as Talking Heads, have rejected substantial offers for use of their songs in Hummer commercials. Additionally, less-well-known acts — such as The Thermals, Trans Am (band), and LiLiPUT — have rejected sums such as $50,000 and $180,000.

Hutch Harris of the Thermals has been quoted as saying, "It had to be the worst product you could give a song to. It was a really easy decision. How could we go on after soundtracking Hummer? It's just so evil." [15]

The webcomic Questionable Content discussed the matter once.[16]

[edit] Hummers in popular culture

• California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first private citizen to own a Hummer and continues to own several. During his 2003 bid for Governor, he responded to environmental critics that not only was he the first civilian to own a Hummer, but he had at his own expense successfully converted at least one of his Hummers into a Hydrogen vehicle. Schwarzenegger also plays a yellow H1 in the movie Cars.
• American gangsta rappers often refer to Hummers as a sign of status.
• In the car chase scene in The Rock, Sean Connery's character drives a Hummer H1.
• Hummer H2s can be seen on CSI: Miami. The investigators, most notably Horatio Caine, drive them to the crime scenes.
• The character Vincent Chase on the HBO television series Entourage owns a yellow H2, although in a recent episode, he gave it to his former head of security as part of a severance package.
• Rock star Neil Young drives a Hummer that is run on alternative biodiesel fuel.
• Nearly a decade before the Hummer was available to the general public, Car and Driver named the Humvee as the #1 vehicle to own in New York City, citing its ability to handle uneven terrain.
• The protagonists of the film Bad Boys 2 steal a yellow H2 from the villains to make their escape, driving it through the villains' exploding Cuban mansion, and then through a shanty town on the side of a mountain, demolishing part of the town as the vehicle crashes through the flimsy structures.
• Several customized H2's are used by Darius and his crew when trying to reach the US Capitol Building in XXX: State of the Union.
• Uncle Jimbo from South Park drives an H-1 and the H-2 appears in several episodes of South Park.
• In Gone in 60 Seconds, the team have to steal a purple Hummer. They give a female name to every car they steal with the name 'Tracy' given to the Hummer.
• In the Simpsons, there is a character who is a parody of Arnold Schwarzenegger who owns a Hummer that is so big that it takes up 2 lanes on which it causes other cars to crash.
• A FoxTrot storyline featured Roger test-driving a "Humbler", a parody of the Hummer with extremely exaggerated characteristics (the tires alone were about twice Roger's height, it consumed 30 gallons of *gas* per *mile* and apparently has a greater mass than the Earth itself)

[edit] Models

There are three current and possibly two future models in the Hummer line:

• Hummer H1
• Hummer H2
  • Hummer H2 SUT
• Hummer H3
  • Hummer H3t
  • Hummer H3x
• Hummer H4

[edit] See also

• Jeep
• High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Hum-Vee)
• Lamborghini Cheetah
• Lamborghini LM002
• Toyota Mega Cruiser

[edit] External links

[edit] Company Sites

• AM General official site
• GM's HUMMER homepage
• H3t concept models and information

[edit] Criticism Sites

• Green Hummer Project
• HummerDinger, maintained by the Sierra Club.
• Ronald McHummer, maintained by the Environmental Working Group, an interactive site that satirizes the Hummer/Happy Meal campaign.
• Stupid Hummer Tricks