GM closes 4 more factories, may kill off Hummer | FerrariChat
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GM closes 4 more factories, may kill off Hummer

Discussion in 'General Automotive Discussion' started by tundraphile, Jun 3, 2008.

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  1. tundraphile

    tundraphile F1 Veteran

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    #1 tundraphile, Jun 3, 2008
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24947044

    Pretty much a no-brainer if you ask me. The Hummer is the symbol of evil for the greenies. Changing public perception is hard and expensive.

    The Volt is set to debut by late 2010 also.
     
  2. lotustt

    lotustt Formula 3

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    #2 lotustt, Jun 3, 2008
    Should there not be a choice? If you have the money and can afford one. But it looks like we are going to lose choices as well. ugh.
    I get it some are unnecessary but its nice to have a choice should the means be there.
     
  3. MikeMac

    MikeMac Formula Junior

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    #3 MikeMac, Jun 3, 2008
    Sure, you have a choice, but so does GM. I would be willing to bet they're taking it in the shorts on the Hummer line right now. They have the choice to stop production if they aren't making money.
     
  4. tundraphile

    tundraphile F1 Veteran

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    #4 tundraphile, Jun 3, 2008
    You should be able to pick up one on the used lot for a song. The people that are really going to get screwed are the ones who recently financed one and want to trade it in. Massively upside down.

    I could see Hummer being sold off and possibly even moved back upmarket, becoming more exclusive. The H1 had a small but solid customer base despite a six-figure MSRP, a spiffy H4 luxury SUV would appeal to the same group. Make it an alternative to Range Rover, rather than just an oddly-styled and less functional Tahoe.

    One thing that will still continue to punish GM/Ford/Chrysler is that they made much more $$$ on each large SUV than they did a small car. While they may be able to keep their customers, their customers are moving into vehicles that do not have as much profit in them.
     
  5. Fastviper

    Fastviper F1 Rookie

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    #5 Fastviper, Jun 3, 2008
  6. senna21

    senna21 F1 Rookie

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    #6 senna21, Jun 3, 2008
    :rolleyes: It's called the free market. If you think the Hummer line is such a great idea I'm sure GM would be happy to sell it off to you. :) Then you could provide people such as yourself with another choice. I suspect that given the spiraling depreciation on these dinosaurs you could pick one up for pennies on the dollar right now. Within a year you'll be able to walk into a closing Hummer dealership and probably name your price. So don't worry, that Hummer with 8mpg you've been dreaming of is right there for you at an unbelievable price.
     
  7. lotustt

    lotustt Formula 3

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    #7 lotustt, Jun 3, 2008
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2008
    Thank you for letting me know what I should do senna.




    Trucks while a major part are not the only gas guzzlers. Eventually it will trickle down to sports cars and such.
     
  8. Lemke

    Lemke F1 Rookie

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    #8 Lemke, Jun 3, 2008
    Hopefully not for a long time.
    I'm surprised GM has kept the Hummer line for as long as they have.
     
  9. tundraphile

    tundraphile F1 Veteran

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    #9 tundraphile, Jun 3, 2008
    I'm actually with lotustt on the sports car front. A 599 get what, 9 mpg in the city? I don't think they should be banned or some other nonsense that has been talked about as the gas crunch hysteria grows. The extremely expensive cars like the 599, LP640, Veyron, etc will always have a market, their owners probably have enough cash to pay $20/gallon and not care. If they want one, they can afford to run it, or at least park it at Starbucks. They have always been as much a statement of their success as a device for transportation or enjoyment.

    Where I see big change is what I will call the mass attainable sporty cars. The days of being able to walk into a dealer and buy 400 hp for under $50k are numbered. Buying a daily driver that gets poor mileage will be seen by the masses as not just wasteful, but stupid. In an image-driven segment like sports cars, imagine having a large segment of the population HATE your car because it represents the same as Hummer. So for new sporty cars, you will see a trend for improved mileage, higher gearing, lighter weight, and smaller cars with smaller engines.

    This will also affect, IMO, the used sporty car market. I'd love an '03+ S600/55 or CL600/55. But I am not willing to buy one, even if does now cost 1/3 of original MSRP, if it gets 19 on the highway. I already have an SUV that can get that, and it sits most of the time for my little Honda.
     
  10. 3604u

    3604u F1 Veteran
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    #10 3604u, Jun 3, 2008
    It might be sold off, and TATA might just buy it!!!

    I love the H1 !!! sat in a military one.. and would love to own one... some day
     
  11. senna21

    senna21 F1 Rookie

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    #11 senna21, Jun 3, 2008
    ;) Not a problem. All in good fun and I'm glad there are gentlemen such as yourself don't take such things personally. I have no problem with it trickling down to sports cars. A Boxster S will get about 21/30 mpg and has good power. I suspect they'll squeeze more out of it as well. It's also rumored that Toyota is thinking of bringing back the MR2 as a hybrid. As a 91 Turbo owner who gets about 22/30 mpg I'd certainly wouldn't mind one that doubled that mileage. :)
     
  12. Dino Martini

    Dino Martini F1 Rookie

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    #12 Dino Martini, Jun 3, 2008
    GM already has an alternative to the Range Rover, its called the Cadillac Escalade. I dont think GM will kill Hummer off. GM cant afford to kill off any car brands. It costs money to kill off a brand, so where is the benefit? GM spent around $2 billion killing Oldsmobile. It cleaned up the books, but there was no return on investment.
     
  13. fastback33

    fastback33 Formula 3

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    #13 fastback33, Jun 3, 2008
  14. mksu19

    mksu19 Formula 3

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    #14 mksu19, Jun 3, 2008
    They'll turn it into a bio-diesel or a hybrid before anything else! Its the trendy thing to do for the moment.
     
  15. agup48

    agup48 Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #15 agup48, Jun 3, 2008
    Ahnold Schwarzenegger already has a Hybrid one.
     
  16. Pantera

    Pantera F1 Rookie

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    #16 Pantera, Jun 3, 2008
    This doesn't suprize me.
     
  17. BlazinBWF

    BlazinBWF Karting

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    #17 BlazinBWF, Jun 3, 2008
    It is kind of sad to see the American motor industry suffering like this even if most of the cars they make are rubbish. It is reminiscent of the British motor industry...apart from a few boutique brands all British manufactures are owned by foreigners.
     
  18. vteqe

    vteqe Formula Junior

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    #18 vteqe, Jun 4, 2008
    Its time that Hummer went the diesel route!
     
  19. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
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    #19 tbakowsky, Jun 4, 2008
    Gm needs to build cars...not trucks, that people want. The G6 is a good start, but they need more. The CTS is shaping up to be a very nice machine, but do they really need the CTS V with 500 horse power? Not really. Its just GM chasing M-Benz and BMW in the horsepower wars. They should take the lead and do the opposite of everybody else right now. Build light weight cars with good power to weight ratios with excellent reliability, and they will corner the market on the whole "greenie" movement. hey could even turn GM to stand for "Green Motors" or what ever. They would become the baby of the enviro movement.
     
  20. agup48

    agup48 Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #20 agup48, Jun 5, 2008
    They should have went that way when they started the company.
     
  21. Rickenbach

    Rickenbach F1 World Champ
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    #21 Rickenbach, Jun 5, 2008
    The H1 was always available with the diesel.
     

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