High-Toned Hummer

Paul A. Eisenstein
From the Print Edition:
Don Johnson, Mar/Apr 02

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Longer term, "I expect there will be a full series," suggests AM General's Armour. "It makes a lot of sense." Barring some un-expected setback, a third model should follow in 2003. A variation of the H2, called the SUT, or Sport-Utility Truck, it will feature a shortened pickup-style bed in the rear, rather than the H2's enclosed cargo compartment.

Officially, there's no such thing as an H3, DiGiovanni says emphatically. But he also slyly admits he'd like one in the lineup -- "if we can come up with a vehicle that's true to the Hummer brand. I won't have a badge-engineered version of some other GM SUV." Insiders say DiGiovanni put his job on the line by refusing early demands by the automaker's top brass to rush a compact Hummer to market. But feasibility studies are quietly progressing, and there appears to be a good chance an H3 will make it into the lineup by mid-decade.

Hummer's competition seems quite willing to cooperate. The original off-road brand, Jeep, is planning to shift its focus to more car-like, highway-ready models. Even Land Rover, the unofficial vehicle of the third world, is moving in that direction. Its all-new Freelander model notably eliminated the ultra-low "creeper" gears sought by true off-road enthusiasts. "That just gives us more of an opportunity," Hernandez says with a smile.

It's a long way from the battlefields of Afghanistan to the highways and hillocks of America. But few vehicles have captured the imagination of the public like the Humvee and its civilian spin-offs. What's likely to be a long war against terrorism has only increased interest in things military. And that's likely to provide a big push as GM sets out to transform Hummer from a niche vehicle into something a bit more mainstream.

Paul A. Eisenstein publishes an auto magazine on the Internet at www.TheCarConnection.Com.

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