Autoblog

General Motors is serious about satellite radio, and the amount of nameplates that offer standard XM is growing all the time. Previously, GM made XM standard on all Cadillacs, and now the subscription radio service will also be available for all new Buick, HUMMER, and Saab models as well. The move enlarges XM's customer base while also giving new-car drivers a chance to test the technology for three months free of charge. Of course, after the gratis period runs out, those drivers are free to become former XM customers, but by then, the hope would be that they're so in love with the service that they simply renew and keep it going. There are now 50 GM products with standard XM, and six million XM-equipped vehicles have been built by the General since 2001.

[Source: GM]

Germany's GeigerCars has an affinity for American metal, and is unafraid to go to wacky extremes in its efforts to create its customized whips. Often, HUMMER provides the canvas for these tuners with dubs on their brains, and the arrival of the V8-powered H3 Alpha has inspired them to whip up a new ground pounder. The result is the HUMMER H3 GT you see here. An engine software tune, new intake, and sport exhaust (note the dual outlets in back) boost the Alpha's numbers to 335 horsepower and 323 lb-ft of torque. The rig is also dropped, given uprated brakes and a set of 23" rims. The windows get the blackout treatment, as do the taillamps and markers in front. Finally, the bodywork is given a monochrome finish accented with a racing stripe in whatever color the owner chooses. On the green tip, GeigerCars can also rig the H3 to run on natural gas, reducing emissions up to 20%. It's all laid out in the press release after the jump. You see? The Germans know how to roll with mad flavor, too.

[Source: GeigerCars.de]

click above image for full high-res gallery of Euro-spec RHD HUMMER H3

The first right-hand-drive HUMMER H3 has been delivered to Britain, and it arrived at the parking lot of a Toys R Us in its own box that reflects the SUV's "ultimate boy's toy" reputation. The box stands four meters high and six meters wide and reportedly took three weeks to build. We particularly like the packaging's verbiage, which proclaims the H3's 1:1 scale and "real roaring engine sounds".

The H3 will start at £26,495 in the U.K., and initially its roaring engine sounds will be made by a 3.7L inline five-cylinder engine, though a biofuel and diesel H3 will follow in three years. The only differences we could detect between this Euro-spec HUMMER H3 and the one sold in the States are a couple of additional turn signal indicators on the front fender sides and a bumper extender out back so smaller European hatchbacks don't slide beneath the H3 in the event of a rear-end collision.

[Source: GM]

TPI Composites has built a Hummer for the Army that is made of composite materials. The Hummer loses 900 pounds of metal body panels and parts, which are then replaced with parts fabricated of fiberglass, balsa wood, foam, and carbon, with resin as a bonding agent.

That 900 pounds is then put back in the vehicle in the form of extra armor where the truck most needs it: in areas that will protect it from roadside bombs. The composite truck has some quirks -- like a body that feels like sandpaper, and the fact that the fenders bend and some other panels are pliable. Yet even though it weighs the same as a traditional Humvee, the point is that it's better built to withstand the threat that kills more soldiers than any other.

AM General and the Army spent 18 months doing R&D on the vehicle. No tests have been carried out yet and the Army hasn't committed to buying any. But if substituting metal for composites and additional armor is shown to save lives, then the vehicle -- which costs more than a standard Humvee -- could make a lot of friends in dangerous places.

[Source: Gizmodo]

Looks like all those Live Earth concerts a few months back had an effect on at least one person. Fergie, one of the featured acts, has decided that her copper green Hummer is not green enough, and is parting with it on eBay. All proceeds from the sale will go to Global Green USA, which is fighting climate change, naturally.

Since this is Fergie, you know the truck's been pimped. Featured in the October '05 issue of DUB magazine, it's got a dropped suspension, chrome for days, drop-down running boards with "Fergie" cut out of them -- twice on each side, and 24" Asante wheels on Pirelli Scorpions. Since it's the ride of a recording artist, it has also had the requisite sound system surgery, with green suede and carbon fiber swaddling enough equipment for an entire electronics store. And the seats look like they were designed for a family of green bumblebees.

The bidding is up to $61,000. The vehicle comes with a certificate of authenticity and ten years of carbon credits to offset its impact. Lovely lady humps will not be included.

Thanks for the tip, Julio!

[Source: eBay]

Click image to enlarge

This one we're sharing just because the photograph is pretty incredible. Taken by American Red Cross volunteer Brad Mellon and provided to us by GM, it reportedly shows one of the HUMMERs operated by the American Red Cross against the backdrop of hay fires in Seeley, CA. Our understanding is that Mr. Mellon was among the volunteers who were supporting a group of over 100 firefighters by bringing nourishment to them at the scene of a blaze over the Labor Day weekend. The photographer, Mr. Mellon, is a volunteer out of the American Red Cross San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter.

This is the kind of thing that American Red Cross volunteers do all around the country. Any time is a good time to show your support for them by making a donation.

Donation information can be found here.

[Sources: GM, American Red Cross]

It wasn't a fair fight at all, but for funsies, a vintage-car hill-climb allowed Forbes Magazine to enter a late model HUMMER H2. You know, just to see how the 316-hp, 4WD SUV would do against, say, a 100-hp 1921 Model T driven by a 70-year-old man. Like we said, it wasn't fair at all.

The HUMMER climbed the 475-foot-tall hill in 10.74 seconds and didn't even break a sweat. Among those not surprised at the HUMMER's prowess was Gary Le Fever, the Model T driver who was waiting at the top of the hill for the H2. Le Fever and his 86-year-old Ford had finished the climb in 9.96 seconds!

Not a huge difference in a conventional match-up, but considering the participants, an amazing triumph for the Model T's engineering simplicity over the HUMMER's hefty muscle.

BTW, the photo is for illustration only. The hill climb was, we understand, much larger.

[Source: Forbes]

HUMMER's general manager, Martin Walsh, has put all the speculation about the long-rumored HUMMER H4 to rest, telling those assembled at a dealer conference that the truck will be shown in concept form in January at NAIAS as the HUMMER HX. The HX will become the H4, which is set to arrive in 2010 as a 2011 model. After giving up the details, Walsh then showed the dealers the actual HX concept. According to descriptions given to the website Hummer Guy, the 2-door, 4-seat HX rides on a shorter wheelbase and is not as tall as its stablemeates, yet is easily identifiable as a HUMMER, thanks to familial styling cues like the signature grille and glass-to-bodywork ratio. The doors are completely removable, as are the fender flares and roof panels. In addition, the H4 will have an optional slantback that evokes the original Humvee. One person who spoke to Hummer Guy said it was "like an enclosed dune buggy." Sounds promising.

Ahead of Detroit, pay attention to SEMA, too, as we have it on good authority that HUMMER will show off a couple of concepts based on current product that have a distinct shot at production if reaction is positive enough.

HUMMER's been keeping busy. It's spending money to improve its current offerings ('08 H2 and H3), further expanding the lineup (don't forget those H3T spy shots), and there's more in the pipeline (H4). The Sierra Club's favorite piñata isn't going anywhere, there are just going to be more goodies inside.

[Source: Hummer Guy]

Some more spy photos of HUMMER's H3T SUV cum pickup bed have surfaced, via Lehmann Photo. As we told you a few months ago, the H3T was first shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show way back in '03, as a concept. The original was a 2-door pickup designed to be all-things Hummer to the mid-size p/up crowd. During its gestation, however, it has apparently sprouted an extra pair of ports and looks to follow the H2T model a little more closely. It's basically an SUV with a short pickup truck bed where the third row of seats might have gone, which is more practical and probably cheaper to build. Expect a full range of bed accessories to keep things in the 4-foot-long bed organized and secure. Also expect to see the 242-hp 3.7L inline-5 and the new 295-hp 5.3L V8 from the H3 Alpha on the option sheet. We think the H3T will show up late next year as a 2009 model. Click over to WorldCarFans for larger pics.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

Gareth Groves had his newly-acquired 2005 HUMMER H2 SUT on the road for just five days, and now it's out of commission. Groves lives in what a neighbor described to The Washington Post as "liberal leaning" community. That same person felt compelled to add that "It's ridiculous to be driving a HUMMER." Apparently, she's not the only one who felt that way.

[Source: The Washington Post]

To say we've been looking forward to the Transformers movie would be a bit of an understatement. Of course, nobody knows that better than you, our fair readers, as you've seen over two dozen Transformer posts over the past year. Why not, we all used to wage Autobot vs. Decepticon battles in our back yards, and the cartoon was a Saturday morning staple for years. When we got a call from General Motors that they would be holding the world premiere of one of 2007's biggest blockbusters and we were invited, you could imagine the excitement.

Before the movie premiere, GM Design held a special dinner at Flemmings, which is across the street from the Palladium theater in Birmingham, MI. The free food and drinks were great, and the chance to discuss design with some of GM's best and brightest was very cool. We'll post later on a great conversation we had with Camaro interior designer Micah Jones, but the big event was the Transformers movie world premiere, and you can read our impression of the movie after the jump.




[Editor's Note: Although the following account is a brief preview of the movie, it is in no way a serious spoiler review. If you're curious, read on, but if you want to remain totally in the dark, stop here and wait until next Wednesday when Transformers hits cineplexes nationwide.]

When does loving an automotive brand go too far? A possible answer could be when two people decide to get married and have almost every facet of their memorable day related some how to their favorite brand, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. That's exactly what will happen when diehard Hummer fans Sonya Jefferson and Steve Spencer tie the knot in an official HUMMER wedding scheduled to take place on the 22nd of this month in Reno.

No minister will be presiding over this wedding. Instead, Team Hummer driver Rod Hall will act as the celebrant with the happy couple reciting vows while standing in the beds of HUMMER trucks. Hall will be wearing his full race-suit and guests will later enjoy a custom 3D-shaped HUMMER wedding cake before the newly married couple hop into their HUMMER H2 to go off-roading in their wedding attire with 100 other Hummer owners.

Residing in Vancouver, Washington, Jefferson and Spencer both own HUMMER vehicles, as do several members of their family, including the maid of honor and mother of the bride. Whatever happened to the sanctity of marriage? Sigh.

[Source: GM]

Mark your calendars, because we're calling today a watershed moment for the advancement of diesel's acceptance in the U.S. General Motors has just announced a new 4.5L V8 Duramax turbo-diesel powerplant it plans to use in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra half-ton pickups, as well as the HUMMER H2. The new oil burner is expected to produce at least 310 horsepower and 520 ft-lbs. of torque. It features dual-overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, a variable-vane turbocharger and aluminum cylinder heads with integrated manifolding that helps keep the overall package small enough to fit in the same space as the automaker's small-block gas V8s.

That's right, just imagine the possibilities. Wherever GM uses a small-block V8 gas engine, it could potentially use the 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel. In a few years we could be driving diesel Impalas, diesel Camaros, maybe even a diesel Corvette! To quote GM's press release, the engine's small size gives it "the flexibility to introduce this engine in a wide variety of vehicle applications should there be future market demand." Indeed.

GM estimates that the engine will improve fuel efficiency by 25%, reduce CO2 emissions by 13% and decrease particulate and NOx emissions by at least 90% in its GMT900 pickups and the HUMMER H2. Whoever said the HUMMER H2 was on its way out will likely be proven incorrect after this engine debuts. Scheduled to be built at the GM Tonawanda engine plant outside Buffalo, NY, the 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel will be 50-state emissions compliant and meet 2010 diesel emissions standards, as well. GM claims its new diesel will also have NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) levels approaching those of today's current gas V8s, though we'll have to wait and see if that wish comes true. That wait should end in a couple of years, as the automaker states the engine will be available in Silverado, Sierra and H2 models built after 2009.

UPDATE: Pickuptruck.com's Mike Levine has learned from GM that despite sharing its name with the older 6.6L Duramax diesel that was developed in partnership with Isuzu, the new 4.5L Duramax was developed completely in-house by GM.

Check out GM's full press release after the jump for more details.

[Source: GM]

Automakers continue to take branding to new heights by slapping their logos on everything from computers to speakers to fitness apparel, but HUMMER has gone one step further by introducing the HT1 slider cellphone. Rather than merely affix their iconic logo to some high-end cell phone from South Korea, HUMMER had French design firm ModeLabs Group actually develop a new cell phone from the ground up. You won't be able to find this cell phone from Nokia, Motorola or any other major cell phone manufacturer.

Being a HUMMER branded product, the HT1 can be had in a variety of colors that match the paint chips used for the actual SUVs. One can even get a camouflaged battery pack cover. Perhaps the latter is a nod to the original HUMVEE that still pounds the pavement for the U.S. military.

It seems to be packed with all the bells and whistles including GSM/GPRS connectivity, a 2.2-inch 260K Color TFT Touchscreen, 2-megapixel camera, 256 MB of memory, and a microSD memory card slot. It also comes loaded with 10 wallpapers and two videos from HUMMER, which certainly doesn't help justify the €300 price tag for us. That's around $400 USD, though it doesn't matter much since the HT1 will only be available in Europe, which totally doesn't make any sense.

[Source: MobileBurn]

A Las Vegas HUMMER dealer, Dan Towbin of Towbin HUMMER, has been ordered to take down a 30' x 60' American flag he's flown 100 feet above his dealership for a year because his neighbors have complained about the sound of the flag flapping and the obtrusiveness of its looming pole.

While Towbin claims the the flag is an expression of his patriotism, the dealer's neighbors and other concerned citizens in Las Vegas assert that his intentions are mostly commercial, accusing Towbin of exploiting veterans for his own financial gain. One point of controversy is a war memorial Towbin planned to build at the base of the pole. Towbin, who is an honorary commander at Nellis Air Force Base, said he has not built the memorial because the flag was only approved tentatively pending a six-month review. The six months came and went without the city following up on the matter.

Whatever the circumstances, an interesting component of the battle over the flag is the fact that both sides claim the other is anti-American -- critics of those who wish that the flag be removed say that taking down a flag is unpatriotic, while others say keeping the flag up allows Towbin to commercialize a patriotic symbol. Only Towbin knows for sure his intentions, of course.

Factoid: Dan Towbin is owner of Towbin Auto Group, and his son is Josh Towbin, a.k.a. Chopper from King of Cars.

[Source: Las Vegas Review Journal]