Autoblog

General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner has confirmed that HUMMER is the only brand in the automaker's portfolio that's up for sale. Many believed that Saab's days were also numbered and the Swedish brand would be getting out from under the corporate umbrella as soon as a buyer could be found. Not so says the Ricker. Other brands thought to have been out on the lawn behind a For Sale sign included Opel-Vauxhall, GM of China and Holden. While HUMMER may be the only GM brand for sale, the automaker is certainly keen to sell other assets weighing it down. Wagoner didn't elaborate on which assets those might be, but his company's remaining 49% stock in GMAC doesn't seem to be doing it any good.

[Source: Autocar, Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Consumers surveyed for the YouGovPolimetrix BrandIndex were asked to rate everything from cable channels to search engines in terms of bang for the buck. It's not so much a scientific study as it is an opinion poll, and among the department stores and search engines, automakers were also rated. Among the domestic carmakers, General Motors claims both the best and the worst, with HUMMER rated the worst bang for the buck while Chevrolet was rated positively. Toyota was among the top ten of all brands rated, demonstrating consumers ongoing love for their Camrys, but before we end up with a dogmatic flamewar in the comments, remember that this is just an opinion poll with an buzzword-tastic name.

[Source: AdAge]

Click above high-res gallery of 30-inch wheels

It doesn't surprise us that someone makes a 30-inch wheel. It does, however, that someone actually makes a 30-inch tire. We are behind the times because Pirelli has been making the Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico in 315/30R30 sizes since 2006. We spotted two separate Hummer H2s sporting the tire along with two separate wheels - one with the Giovanna Caracas-8 and the other with Asanti AF 143, both, of course, in chrome. We'd really like to know how a Hummer H2 handles with 30-inch wheels in place, and we can't imagine what these do to the ride quality. The real kicker? We did a search for the Pirelli tires and found that they run for just over $2,000... each. If you include a spare like the blue H2 did, that means you're putting out well over $10,000 just in tires.

HUMMER's presence at this year's SEMA show will be typified by a trio of tuned H3s, ranging from a mildly modded Alpha to an H3T ready to traverse the desert surrounding Sin City.

The most sedate of the three is the warmed-over H3 X Alpha concept, which features new 18-inch wheels shod in 35-inch all-terrain tires, black chrome trim, body-colored bumper extensions and clear turn signal housings. The exterior is coated in Canyon Metallic, while inside, the leather seats, armrests and shift knob all receive contrasting orange stitching along with matching piping and a HUMMER Accessories DVD headrest system.

Far more impressive is the H3T Weekend Warrior concept (above), which capitalizes on HUMMER's off-road cred with a series of engine and suspension mods. Output of the 5.3-liter V8 has been increased by around 70 hp through the use of an LS2 cylinder head, high-lift cam and custom 3.5-inch exhaust. Rolling stock is comprised of HUMMER Accessories' 20-inch wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich Baja T/A rubber, suspended by a Light Racing Jounce Shocks and Rod Hall Racing piggyback performance reservoirs, with brakes provided by DBA.

Finally, Four Wheeler magazine got its own H3 Alpha to play with, and began by "de-glossing" the Victory Red paint scheme with a PPG flattening agent mixed with clear to give it an incredibly cool satin appearance. The only engine mod is a MagnaFlow cat-back exhaust, but what Four Wheeler didn't spend on motivation it made up for with suspension components. Nitrogen-charged, two-inch Rod Hall Racing performance shocks and Light Racing Jounce Shocks compliment the flat-black 16-inch Simulock wheels coated in BFG Mud-Terrain T/A tires.

We'll be on hand in two weeks to bring you all the details from the show floor, but in the meantime, check the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

General Motors is moving full steam ahead on its hopeful sale of HUMMER, moving to make a decision on the SUV marque "as quickly as practical." Shortly after appointing Jim Taylor to the head of the brand, the automaker has contacted interested parties with a full sales prospectus. By now, you're surely aware that sales of the gargantuan 'utes are very slow, posting declines of over 50-percent so far this year. No surprise then that the General would be anxious to get the former military-spec brand off its books. Though GM claims it is not necessarily committed to selling the marque, we're not so sure they have many other options. An entire revamp of the HUMMER line would use up precious resources that would surely be better spent on more fuel efficient, forward thinking products like the Chevy Volt, Cruze and Orlando. In any case, look for an announcement regarding the brand's future in short order. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

We're not sure what's so artistic about a HUMMER H3 with wooden wagon-style wheels, but apparently someone with a higher aptitude than ourselves has created just such an exhibit. It's parked outside the Royal Academy of Arts in London and was created by an artist named Matthew Harrison. According to the press release, he "has combined the legendary off-road vehicle with 'Wild West' wooden wheels to create a sculpture that is a mixture of art, engineering and motoring. For Harrison, "the crux of the 'Hummer' is formed by both its 'being' and its afterlife." We couldn't have sarcastically come up with a better line than that, so we'll just leave it as is. If you'd like to see this rolling sculpture in person, you can do so starting October 17 and it will be parked until the 20th. Enjoy. For another take on HUMMER art, click here.


[Source: HUMMER]

General Motors seems pretty anxious to see its HUMMER division go away. In fact, it's called the sale "urgent," and recent actions appear to bolster that claim.

James E. Taylor, the man who had formerly been helping lead Cadillac back to its "standard of the world" past-glory, has just been appointed the new CEO of the HUMMER brand. GM says that this upper-management move "marks a progression in the ongoing strategic review process." We read that to mean Taylor will help ready the brand for a quick sale. It also sounds like HUMMER's general manager, Martin Walsh, will attempt to smooth over any issues that the brand's sale will have with its current dealerships. Mark McNabb will oversee Taylor on his new assignment and will also shoulder the burden that's left at Caddy now that the brand has lost the man who had been at the helm. We've pasted the press release after the break if you'd like to try and decipher it for yourself.

[Source General Motors]

The world's maddest battles usually earn a brief sobriquet: Red vs. Blue, Holyfield-Tyson, Lingerie Bowl. Although the battle we'll describe today isn't finished, the clash of HUMMER vs. Any Decent Off-roader – especially HUMMER vs. Jeep – has made so much noise on Autoblog alone that we decided it was time to investigate. Not having a Jeep at our disposal, we pitted an H2 against the Toyota Landcruiser on three trails in the California desert to find out if either of them had any quit – or if they'd keep going but complain about it. Follow the jump for the answer we came up with, and check out the gallery of off-road shenanigans below.


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HUMMER's up for sale, and General Motors is looking around the house for other items to include in its yard sale. During a presentation to Deutsche Bank, GM's powertrain plant in Strasbourg was added to the For Sale listings by Treasurer walter Borst. Together, the HUMMER brand and the French transmission plant could bring up to $4 billion. GM's likely not done raiding the attic, either. A list of other salable assets is currently being drawn up as The General continues attempts at righting its ship.

A selloff of HUMMER probably doesn't mean much for the brand's lineup in the immediate future. A new owner would be purchasing the name moreso than the GM truck-based H2 and H3. New models based off some other architecture will take a considerable amount of time to work up; it'd likely mirror what's going on with Land Rover and Jaguar under Tata's ownership.

[Source: Inside Line]

In a move that might frost your cupcakes, General Motors has dropped the heated windshield washer fluid option on all models. The feature was a big part of Buick advertising in the recent past, but GM has either not had enough takers, or there are issues with the OEM for the system components. Either way, you're going to have to chip the ice off the windshield of your brand new Traverse the same way we've done it since the invention of the wheel: cold, freezing, wet, and swearing.

In all honesty, heated washer fluid is better in theory than in practice. It may help a little bit, but the windshield has a lot of "thermal inertia" and the glass is what really needs to be warmed up. Those of us who thought we were smart wrapping the washer fluid line around a radiator hose back in the day discovered this, and now it seems GM has found out the same thing. Maybe Tata could hook The General up with Range Rover's windshield supplier, and we could all rock Lucernes with defroster grids in the front glass. Obviously, cars already built with the system will hit dealerships so equipped, but any vehicles that are pending will have the option deleted and a price adjustment made. Hit the jump to see which vehicles are stricken.

[Source: ChevyTraverseForum | Image: Picasa]