General Motors unveils kinder, gentler Hummer

[PARAGON]

<Table>
<H2>General Motors unveils kinder, gentler Hummer</H2>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: 0px">Wednesday, December 01, 2004</P>By Don Hammonds,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette









Hummer, long loved by loyal owners and fans and just as equally loathed by
environmentalists and some consumer groups, is coming out with a new model that
it hopes wins over at least some critics.



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=240 align=right border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD></TD>
<TD></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD></TD>
<TD><FONT face=arial size=2>2005 Hummer H3</FONT>

<HR>



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The General Motors division that makes
the Hummer also hopes the new model, the H3, puts some pop back into the
vehicle's sales, which through August had plunged 25 percent from a year ago.


Unveiled recently at a Anaheim, Calif., auto show, the H3 retains the unique
look of its larger siblings but gets an average 20 miles per gallon on the
highway -- almost double what the biggest Hummer gets -- and is shorter than a
Honda Accord.


Specifically, it is 16.9 inches shorter than a full-size H2 with a
tailgate-mounted spare tire, six inches lower in height and 6.5 inches narrower
with a 220- horsepower five-cylinder engine that also is used in the GMC Canyon
and Chevy Colorado compact pickup trucks.


Whether the changes will be enough to satisfy some detractors remains to be
seen.


Reaction against the bigger Hummers remains intense, particularly with gas
prices remaining stubbornly high. In the summer of 2003, several Southern
California dealerships were targets of firebombs that damaged or destroyed more
than 100 Hummers.


Susan E. Docherty, Hummer's general manager, tries to take the critics in
stride.


She understands that "Hummers are not for everybody. There will be people who
... will say it's too extreme and not at all appropriate. That's OK."


The bottom line, Docherty said, is that Hummer does "not attempt to try to
satisfy the whole population or satisfy everybody. I try to focus on the people
who represent the market for our product."


Docherty said it wasn't easy to come up with the H3, partly because of what
Hummer has come to be in the popular imagination. "How do you make a small,
fuel-efficient Hummer and still have it retain the identity of Hummer and the
strong overall package that our brand has?" she said.


It also had to retain the Hummer's "DNA," that is, to have the iconic style
now identified with the brand, along with off-road capabilities beyond that
offered by other brands.


Docherty feels certain that the H3 is up to all of the requirements.


"There were some potential customers out there who may have wanted an H2, but
maybe it didn't fit their garage," she said. "Or maybe they found that it was
too hard to park or just too big."


One group that Docherty believes will like the slimmed-down version are women
-- she estimates 40 percent of the buyers of the H3 will be women, double the 20
percent who have bought the larger H2.


She believes they will like its lower price -- it will sell in the $30,000 to
$40,000 range, vs. more than $50,000 for the H2 -- as well the ability to more
easily maneuver and park the H3.


It helps that few will mistake the new model for being anything but a Hummer.
It is a solid identity and mystique that most car brands would love to have.
Plenty of fans who can't afford the bigger H2 model will likely clamor at the
chance to buy the less costly H3 with strikingly similar styling.


In the meantime, Hummer and its most loyal owners are trying to soften the
brand's image.


Member of the Hummer Club are forming a group of volunteers that will be
available to assist the American Red Cross in disaster relief efforts under the
Hummer Owners Prepared for Emergencies, or HOPE, volunteer program.


Hummer Club members who are certified as Red Cross volunteers can be deployed
in local chapter and national relief operations to drive supplies and people
into disaster areas that other vehicles might not be able to reach.


The General Motors Foundation has contributed $4 million toward the effort.


"When disasters strike, it's imperative that Red Cross personnel can access
affected areas as quickly as possible," said Marsha J. Evans, president and
chief executive officer of the American Red Cross. "The off-road capabilities of
Hummer vehicles and the volunteer operational support by the Hummer Club will
certainly help."</P></Table>

[PARAGON]

<Table>
<H2>General Motors unveils kinder, gentler Hummer</H2>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: 0px">Wednesday, December 01, 2004</P>By Don Hammonds,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette









Hummer, long loved by loyal owners and fans and just as equally loathed by
environmentalists and some consumer groups, is coming out with a new model that
it hopes wins over at least some critics.



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=240 align=right border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD></TD>
<TD></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD></TD>
<TD><FONT face=arial size=2>2005 Hummer H3</FONT>

<HR>



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The General Motors division that makes
the Hummer also hopes the new model, the H3, puts some pop back into the
vehicle's sales, which through August had plunged 25 percent from a year ago.


Unveiled recently at a Anaheim, Calif., auto show, the H3 retains the unique
look of its larger siblings but gets an average 20 miles per gallon on the
highway -- almost double what the biggest Hummer gets -- and is shorter than a
Honda Accord.


Specifically, it is 16.9 inches shorter than a full-size H2 with a
tailgate-mounted spare tire, six inches lower in height and 6.5 inches narrower
with a 220- horsepower five-cylinder engine that also is used in the GMC Canyon
and Chevy Colorado compact pickup trucks.


Whether the changes will be enough to satisfy some detractors remains to be
seen.


Reaction against the bigger Hummers remains intense, particularly with gas
prices remaining stubbornly high. In the summer of 2003, several Southern
California dealerships were targets of firebombs that damaged or destroyed more
than 100 Hummers.


Susan E. Docherty, Hummer's general manager, tries to take the critics in
stride.


She understands that "Hummers are not for everybody. There will be people who
... will say it's too extreme and not at all appropriate. That's OK."


The bottom line, Docherty said, is that Hummer does "not attempt to try to
satisfy the whole population or satisfy everybody. I try to focus on the people
who represent the market for our product."


Docherty said it wasn't easy to come up with the H3, partly because of what
Hummer has come to be in the popular imagination. "How do you make a small,
fuel-efficient Hummer and still have it retain the identity of Hummer and the
strong overall package that our brand has?" she said.


It also had to retain the Hummer's "DNA," that is, to have the iconic style
now identified with the brand, along with off-road capabilities beyond that
offered by other brands.


Docherty feels certain that the H3 is up to all of the requirements.


"There were some potential customers out there who may have wanted an H2, but
maybe it didn't fit their garage," she said. "Or maybe they found that it was
too hard to park or just too big."


One group that Docherty believes will like the slimmed-down version are women
-- she estimates 40 percent of the buyers of the H3 will be women, double the 20
percent who have bought the larger H2.


She believes they will like its lower price -- it will sell in the $30,000 to
$40,000 range, vs. more than $50,000 for the H2 -- as well the ability to more
easily maneuver and park the H3.


It helps that few will mistake the new model for being anything but a Hummer.
It is a solid identity and mystique that most car brands would love to have.
Plenty of fans who can't afford the bigger H2 model will likely clamor at the
chance to buy the less costly H3 with strikingly similar styling.


In the meantime, Hummer and its most loyal owners are trying to soften the
brand's image.


Member of the Hummer Club are forming a group of volunteers that will be
available to assist the American Red Cross in disaster relief efforts under the
Hummer Owners Prepared for Emergencies, or HOPE, volunteer program.


Hummer Club members who are certified as Red Cross volunteers can be deployed
in local chapter and national relief operations to drive supplies and people
into disaster areas that other vehicles might not be able to reach.


The General Motors Foundation has contributed $4 million toward the effort.


"When disasters strike, it's imperative that Red Cross personnel can access
affected areas as quickly as possible," said Marsha J. Evans, president and
chief executive officer of the American Red Cross. "The off-road capabilities of
Hummer vehicles and the volunteer operational support by the Hummer Club will
certainly help."</P></Table>

[PARAGON]

<Table>
<H2>General Motors unveils kinder, gentler Hummer</H2>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: 0px">Wednesday, December 01, 2004</P>By Don Hammonds,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette









Hummer, long loved by loyal owners and fans and just as equally loathed by
environmentalists and some consumer groups, is coming out with a new model that
it hopes wins over at least some critics.



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=240 align=right border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD></TD>
<TD></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD></TD>
<TD><FONT face=arial size=2>2005 Hummer H3</FONT>

<HR>



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The General Motors division that makes
the Hummer also hopes the new model, the H3, puts some pop back into the
vehicle's sales, which through August had plunged 25 percent from a year ago.


Unveiled recently at a Anaheim, Calif., auto show, the H3 retains the unique
look of its larger siblings but gets an average 20 miles per gallon on the
highway -- almost double what the biggest Hummer gets -- and is shorter than a
Honda Accord.


Specifically, it is 16.9 inches shorter than a full-size H2 with a
tailgate-mounted spare tire, six inches lower in height and 6.5 inches narrower
with a 220- horsepower five-cylinder engine that also is used in the GMC Canyon
and Chevy Colorado compact pickup trucks.


Whether the changes will be enough to satisfy some detractors remains to be
seen.


Reaction against the bigger Hummers remains intense, particularly with gas
prices remaining stubbornly high. In the summer of 2003, several Southern
California dealerships were targets of firebombs that damaged or destroyed more
than 100 Hummers.


Susan E. Docherty, Hummer's general manager, tries to take the critics in
stride.


She understands that "Hummers are not for everybody. There will be people who
... will say it's too extreme and not at all appropriate. That's OK."


The bottom line, Docherty said, is that Hummer does "not attempt to try to
satisfy the whole population or satisfy everybody. I try to focus on the people
who represent the market for our product."


Docherty said it wasn't easy to come up with the H3, partly because of what
Hummer has come to be in the popular imagination. "How do you make a small,
fuel-efficient Hummer and still have it retain the identity of Hummer and the
strong overall package that our brand has?" she said.


It also had to retain the Hummer's "DNA," that is, to have the iconic style
now identified with the brand, along with off-road capabilities beyond that
offered by other brands.


Docherty feels certain that the H3 is up to all of the requirements.


"There were some potential customers out there who may have wanted an H2, but
maybe it didn't fit their garage," she said. "Or maybe they found that it was
too hard to park or just too big."


One group that Docherty believes will like the slimmed-down version are women
-- she estimates 40 percent of the buyers of the H3 will be women, double the 20
percent who have bought the larger H2.


She believes they will like its lower price -- it will sell in the $30,000 to
$40,000 range, vs. more than $50,000 for the H2 -- as well the ability to more
easily maneuver and park the H3.


It helps that few will mistake the new model for being anything but a Hummer.
It is a solid identity and mystique that most car brands would love to have.
Plenty of fans who can't afford the bigger H2 model will likely clamor at the
chance to buy the less costly H3 with strikingly similar styling.


In the meantime, Hummer and its most loyal owners are trying to soften the
brand's image.


Member of the Hummer Club are forming a group of volunteers that will be
available to assist the American Red Cross in disaster relief efforts under the
Hummer Owners Prepared for Emergencies, or HOPE, volunteer program.


Hummer Club members who are certified as Red Cross volunteers can be deployed
in local chapter and national relief operations to drive supplies and people
into disaster areas that other vehicles might not be able to reach.


The General Motors Foundation has contributed $4 million toward the effort.


"When disasters strike, it's imperative that Red Cross personnel can access
affected areas as quickly as possible," said Marsha J. Evans, president and
chief executive officer of the American Red Cross. "The off-road capabilities of
Hummer vehicles and the volunteer operational support by the Hummer Club will
certainly help."</P></Table>

[RIC-H0]

I kinda like it...
It's like a Mini Me!

Ric-H2

[BlingBlingH2]

da H2 is a "Mini Me" of da one, only, real Hummer, da H1. So da H3 and H2 are both fake azz mini me'z dat wish they were da real thing.

[partsguy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BlingBlingH2:
da H2 is a "Mini Me" of da one, only, real Hummer, da H1. So da H3 and H2 are both fake azz mini me'z dat wish they were da real thing. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I Oh way waste my time.