Will the H3 be a homerun or foul ball?

[Steve R]

Will the H3 be another huge hit....or what??

I say "No".....

The H2 has "been there, done that"

For years the H1 was the exotic of offroad vehicles...costing upwards of six-figures. It really wasn't very practical....certainly not something mom could use to haul kids to soccer practice. It was wide, heavy, and pretty much regarded as a specialty vehicle for the wealthy. Some stayed away due to price, others for lack of practical application.

The H2 changed all that. In 3 words you could sum it up as "Hummer made affordable"....

For about half the price, or about the same money as any other luxury SUV, a consumer could find themselves behind the wheel of a HUMMER. The price was right! Beyond price was practicality...now you could zip around town hauling kids, jamming at 80 mph on the freeway and pretty much enjoying all the qualities of any typical SUV. Aside from a tall jump upwards to get in, you had a SUV on steroids. It was a GM and parts & service available....why not!

And so the H2 was all the rage, suddenly Hummers were in the spotlight and driving down the street kids smiled and gave you the thumbs-up. Life was good.

Those days are gone.

High oil prices, the push to save the environment and just basic trends have put the Hummer into the background of modern automotive interest. Not to mention the war in Iraq getting old....the association with a battle-vehicle just doesn't quite appeal either.

One other thought: people discovered the H2 wasn't a "real Hummer". It didn't have gear-driven hubs, CTIS or all the armor the H1 has. They called it a Tahoe2. Personally, I think GM bought a name and instead of maintaining it's pretige & quality....they cashed-in and watered it down for sake of profit.

Is there a place for the H3? Will it re-ignite the Hummer interest and stir a renewed sales rage?...I sincerely doubt it. Sure, it'll mean "entry" for those who can't cut-loose with $55k....but to what extent? HELLO: For about the same money as a new H3 you can own a used H2 still under warranty; why not buy the original immitator???

I'm guessing the H3 will be exactly like the Jeep Liberty....you'll see them here and there, but after a brief initial hype and some perky sales...it'll fall flat on it's face and just plunder along.

Course, I may be wrong....but what's that old saying? Ah yes....BITE ME!!