How About a Home of Hummers
You know, when you see a Hummer, you kinda get scarred and get the impression that the things would be different if you were the one sitting inside of that car. Now, you could have the chance to actually leave in a house build of Hummers.
Who had this idea? Architects Craig Hodges and HsinMing Fung, who joined forces in 1984 to create the agency HplusF. After working at important buildings and leaving their stylistic print on them, the two architects had the idea of building a HummerHaus using eight identical Hummer body shells, wrapped around a steel skeleton. The result? A lovely and imposing living space; the sheet-metal components of the body shell were structurally sufficient to create such a space.
“Optional geothermal storage tanks, photo-voltaic cells, and soy insulation will complete a sustainable project which has, at its core, the recycling of an automobile plant and the resuscitation of its supply chain.”
For the moment, this is still a concept, but I bet that its inhabitants would feel less fear of thieves.
What other car would you like to see it transformed into a house?
[Source: Dornob]
Post tags: Tags: Hummer, Hummer house
Today I’m starting a new series of articles on rpmGO, dedicated to the cars that I don’t like for various reasons. I thought that I should start big and tell you why I never liked the Hummer H2. Simply put, the H2 is one of the ugliest cars ever made and a real gas guzzler due to its massive 8500 lbs weight.
If you didn’t know, the Hummer H2 has the chassis of the Chevy Tahoe and a body quite similar with the original Hummer, meaning that this is in fact a Chevy Tahoe in a real bad disguise. I’ve mentioned that the car is a gas guzzler. Due to its weight, it didn’t have to meet the US government federal fuel efficiency regulations. More than that, the manufacturer didn’t even have to publish its fuel economy. According to some owners, the H2 will do only 10 mpg for normal use!
Aside from the fact that you’ll have to visit the gas station quite often, the Hummer (all of the models) is a real polluter. The H2 produces 3.4 metric tons of carbon emissions in a typical year which is almost double in comparison to the Chevrolet Malibu sedan.
Another thing that I hate about the car (and probably the most) is the fact that it has those raised bumpers which most likely would prove to be fatal in a frontal collision with another car. I can’t even image what would happen if it hit someone on the street.
Last but not least, the Hummer H2 was one of those cars that benefited from tax loopholes. What I’m trying to say is that under the laws applicable when it was made, business owners could have deducted almost 50% the cost of an H2. Those people in the highest tax bracket had the possibility to save up to $10,000 if they got the H2.
Although I’m a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and I grew up with his movies, he was the one that convinced AM General to make a street-legal version of the Gulf War Humvee (High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle). The rest of the story you already know it – three awful cars. Thank God that General Motors killed the Hummer brand.
Post tags: Tags: hummer h2
Here we are at the final part of our extensive article where we will conclude the top 50 of the worst cars in all history. If you aren’t up to date with the first 40, you will find the others parts here: 1, 2, 3 and 4. In the first parts we have seen them all: some big cars, some small cars, others were very beautiful, others not so much. Keep reading to find the other ten left; there are a couple of surprises.
Speaking of, you never thought that the Ford Explorer was eligible for this top. Most of you will disagree with the reason why we included it here. First of all, remember that the Explorer is the best-selling passenger vehicle in North America for over 14 years. It is a car very beloved especially by moms who enjoy picking up their kids with this popular SUV. The reason for including it is not because of the Firestone tire controversy as some of you might expect. The reason is because the Ford Explorer is responsible for setting United States on the spiral of automotive obesity that we are very much still contending it today. After the Explorer, cars got bigger and bigger as most of us believe that a big bad car is safer (which is not entirely true). We now have cars that haven’t heard about the term fuel-efficiency and some of them are just too big, like the Hummer, both the H2 and the H3.
The EV1 was introduced by General Motors back in 1997 and it was without exaggerating, a marvel of engineering. It was by far the best electric car of those times and it promised that pretty soon, electric cars will going to replace our piston-powered engine vehicles. First of all, the reason why it is worthy of a place here is because it didn’t live up to that promise as it was very expensive to make, the battery technology in the late 90s was nowhere near ready to replace our conventional cars. In addition, the EV1 was an uberlight 2-seater, not to the liking of the Americans.
While some of you make like the design, we hate it – the Plymouth Prowler was the project of mid 90s new powerful computer tools that were capable of high-zoot projects that in the past wouldn’t have recovered the development costs. The design of the Plymouth was inspired (or even stolen) by a retro-roadster design by Chip Foose and made this car look like a dry-lake speedster from the 22nd century. We mentioned hotrod, well it wasn’t. Packing a run-of-the-mill 3.5-liter V6 engine that churned 250 hp, it wasn’t fast at all. In addition, this power unit was linked to an automatic transmission, which means that it wasn’t able to lay down the requisite stripes of hot rubber.
Fiat Multipla
Here is in my opinion one of the ugliest cars in the world – the Fiat Multipla. The name was used by the Italian company for the first time in the 1950s and 1960s for a microvan which was based on the lovely 600 model. The one that was launched in 1998 was nothing like its predecessors. With its very strange front appearance that looks like it had several sets of eyes, the Multipla also had a very bulky cabin.
General Motors had the Hummer H2 while Ford had the Excursion, which was (and still is in production), a gigantic sport utility vehicle that is based on the firm’s Super Duty truck platform. It has a weight of 7,000 lbs and measures almost 19 ft. long and 6.5 ft. tall! Enough said.
Jaguar needed a car to compete against the Mercedes C-Class and the BMW 3-Series. Based on the Ford Mondeo platform, the company launched an entry-level model – the X-Type. In their struggle to turn a FWD compact car into an AWD sports sedan, the British ran smack into the limits of platform engineering. The car that resulted after this project is the British version of the Cadillac Cimarron, a financial disaster for Jaguar. The car wasn’t that bad but ruined the Jaguar name.
Here is another ugly car, the Pontiac Aztek. In the concept version, the car looked very cool but the production model was reduced to a bulky, plastic-clad automotive mess. The car was a pretty good crossover but judging by its appearance, you had to be pretty insane to buy one.
Here is another one that most of you will not agree with us, the BMW 7-Series. Why? Because of that annoying iDrive rotary dial/joystick controller located on the center console that made BMW owners pull out their hair. This thing was very hard to work with and sometimes, borderline impossible. Its second flaw was that awful-looking bubble butt. Other than that, the car was astonishing! Good thing that with the new generation they have redesigned the back of the car which looks great and they also updated the iDrive system.
We mentioned the Hummer before; it had to make it into our list. The H2 deserves a spot in our top because of its awful looks and the fact that it does about 10 miles per gallon. If you are looking for a road-eligible tank, the Hummer H2 is the solution.
The last car from our article is the Chevy SSR. Although Chrysler and General Motors are in the same town, the latter didn’t learn from the Prowler disaster. GM decided to make the Chevy SSR, which was an awesome-looking hotrod slash pickup that had a composite body as well as a cool convertible top. Due to the fact that the car borrowed the mechanicals and the chassis from GM’s corporate midsize sport utility vehicle program, the car was very heavy and underpowered, making it very lazy on the road. Although Chevrolet upgraded the SSR in the years to come, it was too late.
This concludes our extensive article about 50 of the worst cars ever made. We hope that you liked it.
Post tags: Tags: bmw 7 series, chevy ssr, fiat multipla, ford excursion, gm ev1, hummer h2, jaguar x-type, plymouth prowler, pontiac aztek
GM recalls 163,000 Hummer H3 models overs hood problems
Not a day without a recall it seems, as GM has just revealed that it will be calling back to dealerships almost all of the manufactured Hummer H3 models.
As such, 163,000 H3s, made between 2006 and 2010, will be recalled, because of a pretty major problem with the hood mechanism. It seems that over time, the tabs that hold the hood louvers in place can come loose eventually resulting in a complete separation while the H3 is moving.
Now I don’t know about you, but that might cause quite a few incidents, to say the least. Owners are advised to check for vibrations or noises coming from the hood louvers, as that might be the first sign you’re going to maneuver a heavy tank with obscured vision.
GM is informing H3 owners as we speak, and the vehicles will be fixed by adding an extra adhesive, in order to keep the louvers in place. If you want to contact GM, call 800-732-5493.
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Post tags: Tags: General Motors, gm, Hummer, hummer-h3, Recalls
After last weekend’s Save Hummer summit, it has been revealed that Illinois Senator Roland Burris will open an official investigation into how General Motors has handled its Hummer brand, especially after the sale talks with China’s Sichuan Tengzhong failed.
It seems that even though GM said it is open to any other bidders, great offers from two electric vehicle research companies, Raser Technologies and Electric Motors Corporation, haven’t even received an answer. Even more so, GM has recently revealed that the wind down process is continuing as planned, and the SUV brand is going to be closed down soon.
The Senator is going to ask GM the reasons such offers were turned down without even a suggestion to improve them and potentially save Hummer and its employees. He will also plead some of the suggestions the groups who attended the Save Hummer summit had revealed.
Hopefully this investigation will shed some light on the fate of the brand, but don’t cross your fingers just yet.
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Post tags: Tags: General Motors, gm, government, Hummer, investigation, senator
The Hummer saga isn’t over just yet, as new reports are hinting that a buyer might still be interested in the SUV brand, which is scheduled to be closed down by General Motors.
The company in question, Raser Technologies, already has a decent amount of experience working with Hummer models, as the company made an electric conversion kit for the heavy H3 SUV. It seems Raser was interested in the brand before China’s Sichuan Tengzhong made its offer, but GM favored the Chinese corporation. Another offer was made after talks with Sichuan failed, once again to no avail.
Reports also indicate that because Raser might turn future Hummer models into extended range electric vehicles (E-REV), GM is reluctant to go ahead with the sale. As you may already know, the carmaker is working hard to launch its own E-REV, the Chevrolet Volt, later this year.
The first Raser Hummer H3 EV prototype managed an impressive 100 mpg+ fuel average, while being able to run on electric power for over 40 miles. These numbers are awfully close to the Volt figures, and given the extra weight of the H3, show that Raser did a better job than GM.
Given the fact that Raser might turn Hummer against GM and that the company already announced that it is moving forward with the wind down process, the SUV brand isn’t looking very good.
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Post tags: Tags: Electric Vehicles, extended range electric vehicles, General Motors, gm, Hummer, raser, raser technologies
Despite last minute attempts to rally up support for the Hummer brand, representative Nick Richards revealed that GM will continue the wind down process and won’t take any more offers for the troubled SUV brand.
This practically means that Hummer is soon to be extinct. As you can remember, GM tried to sale the bleeding brand to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong, but the negotiations hit a dead end, leaving Hummer without any potential buyer.
The leadership chain is going to be retired, while the remaining stock of Hummer models will be subjected to big incentives. Also, a new campaign advertising that “this is your last change to buy a Hummer” will soon be aired, so that the stocks can be depleted as soon as possible.
GM said it is aware of the upcoming ‘Save Hummer‘ summit in Chicago, but declined to say if it will send representatives. With this new statement though, the brand doesn’t stand a chance.
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Post tags: Tags: General Motors, gm, Hummer
Bummed to hear that Hummer will be closed down by General Motors in the near future? Don’t worry, there’s still something you can do to save the gas-guzzling SUV brand.
A new organization, entitled Capital & Labor International Coalition, has just announced it will be holding a special ‘Save Hummer‘ rally in Chicago on April 11, and has invited a lot of people to take part in discussions and show their support for the troubled brand.
Don’t go thinking this will be just a meeting between hardcore fans, as the chairman of CLIC, Thane Ritchie, has revealed it has invited everyone from the Hummer board of directors, to the company’s CEO, as well as members from the UAW union, which represent the interest of the workers at the Hummer plant in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“We have researched the GM/Hummer situation for the past month, and we believe that Hummer can be saved and continue to offer great jobs and products in America and globally,” said Ritchie.
Besides the aforementioned representatives, the company also met with U.S. Senator Roland Burris, D-Illinois, and asked him to act as a liaison between Hummer and the government, in order to plead the cause of the quintessentially American brand.
While it’s nice to see that Hummer still has a lot of loyal fans, we’re not exactly holding our breath here. Sure, the ‘Save Saab’ rally worked for the Swedish brand, but Hummer doesn’t have a lot going for it if it will be saved. Either way, all you big SUV fans better circle April 11 on your calendars and meet up in the windy city.
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Post tags: Tags: chicago, General Motors, gm, Hummer, usa
Before the winter season arrived, we revealed to you Ken Block’s awesome Subaru Impreza WRX STI Trax off-road machine, which combined the Japanese model with special off-road rubber tracks, in order to tackle any terrain.
But if you though the Impreza didn’t look just right, sitting on those big tracks, Geiger Cars has just the thing for you: the Hummer H2 Bomber. As its name suggests, the vehicle is based on the H2, and saw Mattracks 88M1-A1 rubber tracks added, in order to “guarantee unrivalled traction on virtually any type of terrain, whether the vehicle is needed for agriculture, emergency services or expedition.”
Geiger also threw in a new 6.2-liter V8 engine, capable of 398 HP and 423 lb-ft of torque. If you don’t want to mortgage your house to pay for gas, a version running on LPG Autogas is also available, as an option. In terms of looks, the Bomber has a matte silver paint job and a roof box complete with Hella lights. For the inside, passengers will enjoy a sunroof, a Kenwood navigation system and a new rear seat entertainment system.
Even though the Hummer brand is slowly being killed by GM, you can still own this awesome example of the potential its models had.
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Post tags: Tags: geiger, geigercars, Hummer, hummer h2, hummer h2 bomber, Tuning
Times are tough, not only for average people but also for car brands that aren’t likely to survive for much longer. One such brand is Hummer, which after seeing its sale from GM to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong fail, is already in the wind down process.
This left many dealers with stocks of unsold Hummer trucks, just gathering dust since nobody wants them. But in a very successful targeted marketing effort, the Lynch Hummer St. Louis dealership is making a sweet offer for any new Hummer owners.
With any model sold, the company, which also sells fire arms on the side (nothing wrong about that), will offer a $2,000 Browning Citori White Lightning shotgun. That’s right, now you’ll be one step closer to having your own private security force/militia with a big SUV and proper firepower.
You still have to fulfill the requirements to wield the shotgun, but the marketing attempt will surely attract some (dubious) people. For more details, check out the official website of the dealership.
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Post tags: Tags: dealership, Hummer, marketing
GM examining two previous offers for Hummer
As you all know, yesterday was a sad day for over-compensators and rap stars from all over the world, as General Motors announced that the Hummer brand will begin the wind down process, as the sale talks with China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines stopped due to problems with the Chinese government.
But all is not lost, as it seems GM has started examining two previous offers it received for the heavy SUV brand when the talks already started with Sichuan. The Wall Street Journal declined to say just who made those offers, but they will be found out sooner or later.
We’re pretty skeptic about the whole deal, but quite a few people are beginning to draw parallels between Hummer now and Saab just a few months ago, as the Swedish brand was also scheduled to be closed down, but Spyker came in and bought it from GM. But as we said yesterday, Hummer doesn’t have the same wide lineup as Saab, relying only on its tough image to make a sale. Sadly for it, this might not be enough.
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Post tags: Tags: General Motors, gm, Hummer
General Motors is adding another brand to its ever increasing pile of closed down ones, as it has just announced that the Hummer sale talks between it and China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines have stopped.
As such, the brand specialized in big, heavy SUVs will begin a wind down process, at the end of which it will be no more. Warranties and parts will continue to be provided for some time now, but the production, which was already halted last month, won’t be restarting.
“One year ago, General Motors announced that we were going to divest Hummer, as part of focusing our efforts on Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac going forward. We have since considered a number of possibilities for Hummer along the way, and we are disappointed that the deal with Tengzhong could not be completed.”
For those of you who don’t know, GM placed the Hummer brand up for sale last year, and while a few parties became rather interested, only Sichuan Tengzhong entered talks with the US company. Those discussion were scheduled to end with the sale of the SUV company at the beginning of February, but the deadline was delayed.
Rumors at that time were saying that the Chinese government wasn’t keen on the whole deal, as Hummer was still a symbol of Western capitalism and consumerism, so the breakdown in talks might have been generated by the people in Beijing.
Either way, as we saw with Saab, the wind down process doesn’t necessarily mean Hummer won’t be sold, but considering its tarnished image and lack of diversity, potential buyers won’t flock to rescue it. What do you think? Share your thoughts below, in a comment.
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Post tags: Tags: china, General Motors, gm, Hummer, sichuan tengzhong
General Motors desperately wants to get rid of its bleeding brands, and not only did it close down a few of them, like Saturn or Pontiac, but it is carrying tough negotiations for other brands as well. Seemingly, the Saab deal between it and Spyker is done, but the other negotiation process, between it and China’s Sichuan Tengzhong, for the sale of Hummer, has now captured the spotlight.
As you may remember, when the two companies announced that the negotiations are underway, they also said that a conclusion will be reached at the end of January. But as you clearly know, the month has ended, and no concrete announcement was given.
According to a new report, it seems that the two corporations have pushed the deadline to the end of the month, as the deal still has to be regulated by a few Chinese government organizations. While it is expected that all the necessary paperwork will be completed until then, one of the main Chinese entrepreneurs behind this deal, Suo Lang Duo Ji, has gone on the record saying that he hopes the process will be completed by this spring, so we might be in for another delay after February ends.
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Post tags: Tags: General Motors, gm, Hummer, sichuan tengzhong
Besides trying to sell/wind down Saab, General Motors is also in the process of selling its Hummer brand to the Chinese company Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, which plans to revive the big SUV brand.
But until the deal goes through, the US company announced that the manufacturing of the H3 and the H3T at its Shevreport, LA plant will stop on Monday, seeing as how dealerships have over 2,100 H3 models on their lots, which will be plenty until the contract will be signed.
The company also revealed that once the Chinese corporation takes control of Hummer, the plant will once again be working at full capacity, as Sichuan Tengzhong will pour big money into marketing the Hummer brand and try to spark some interest in it. Whether or not it will work is still anybody’s guess.
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Post tags: Tags: General Motors, gm, Hummer, sichuan tengzhong
Whatever say about it, Hummer‘s current situations isn’t the most craved after in the whole automotive industry, as GM is preparing to get it off its hands and sell it to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong corporation for just $150 million, a deal which might get signed at the beginning of December.
But Hummer does have a plan for its future though, as its CEO, Jim Taylor, revealed that alongside the company, Sichuan will also receive plans for the H4 model, and has expressed the points that the company wants to address as soon as the new Asian ownership is confirmed.
First on the agenda will be the revamp of the brand, as the Chinese company is eager to invest in marketing and get rid of the image everyone has when it thinks about Hummer, of big, heavy gas guzzlers which are of limited use.
Secondly, the company plans to sell more cars next year and get more models in the showrooms in order to get the attention of prospective buyers. The aforementioned marketing will also play a key role in this goal.
Last but not least, and perhaps the most important thing, the Hummer CEO revealed that it plans to release a H4 model, which will be smaller than the H3 (that’s not saying a lot) and based on the HX concept (shown above) it showed last year in Detroit. Rumors also indicate that this H4 might even receive a hybrid version in order to improve fuel economy. An even smaller H5 is also on the drawing board, to attract people who want a smaller, but practical off-roader, with top notch fuel economy.
Overall, these are some big goals from Hummer, but until the ink is drying on the contract between GM and Sichuan Tengzhong, nothing is for certain.
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Post tags: Tags: General Motors, gm, Hummer, hummer h4, hummer h5, sichuan tengzhong
