Ding Dong the Hummer's Dead!
Alright it's not dead, but it's looking refreshingly moribund.
We were absolutely thrilled today to learn that GM is considering ditching the Hummer brand. CEO Rick Wagoner said GM is "undertaking a strategic review of the Hummer brand, to determine its fit with GM's evolving product portfolio" in light of changing market conditions.
Dear Rick: we'd like to suggest you go a step further and acknowledge that the Hummer was an anachronistic tragedy whose time has come to disappear from the face of the Earth. (Or at least it should be removed from the consumer realm; we don't feel qualified to comment on its military utility.)
Should Americans really drive a vehicle that weighs 8,600 pounds and gets less than 16 miles per gallon? We think not, and hope that sagging sales and $4 gas will show you that the Hummer needs to go to the Big Auto Graveyard in the Sky.
To be fair, we are thrilled that General Motors Corp.'s board approved the production of the Chevrolet Volt, and the company plans to release the plug-in electric car by the end of 2010. The Volt will be able to drive about 40 miles without the use of any gas. A small engine would recharge the vehicle, and allow it to reach 150 miles per gallon. GM has said they plan to sell about 100,000 Volts a year by 2012. Learn more about the Volt announcement here.
Welcome to the 21st Century, GM! Doesn't it feel good?
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Wow, I never knew that such an object could cause such rage in "nice" green people. This has been very therapeutic, as I was in need of some comic relief.
The author of this article is a bit ahead of herself, sorry to say. While the Hummer might seem to be on the outs, it most likely will be temporary. Gas prices will come down to a more reasonable level at some point, relatively soon. Hummer sales, as well as all other SUV's and trucks will again rest at comfortable production levels to where GM (or another owner) will be able to make a profit.
As much as you would like to think that the internal combustion engine has died, it will make a comeback once oil exploration, production, and distribution are given a fair shake by the policy makers in this country.
Absolutely, it is imperative to get some of the new, radical "green" policies in place to allow voters to see their true destructive nature. Once this happens on a large enough scale, only then can we throw out these harmful, wasteful, pointless rules, regulations and viewpoints and move on with business as it should be.
Greens - you will have your day, . . . . . sort of.
BucxforU is right. As long as there are men with small penises out there, we'll be saddled with gas guzzling behemoths like the Hummer.
I rode in a military hummer once. I never did understand why they got rid of the old-fashioned jeep, especially after riding in the hummer. The jeep could have used some modernisations, but the hummer? It's no good for military purposes, but real good for making money for GM.
California's Governaor, the Gobernator, is said to be responsible for the effort to make the hummer available to consumers. He should be behind the effort to get them off of our streets, as well. Even when converted to bio-fuels, they are nothing but a testosterone fix for little boys.
While we're at it, do you mind if I do some Land Rover bashing as well? Living in LA I am astonished on a daily basis by A) the number of Priuses (what's the plural? Prii?) I see and B) the fact that I see even MORE Land Rovers.
The HUGE Range Rover model that looks like a big shark is particularly popular here in LA. These Urban Assault Vehicles are supposed to get 12 in the city and 18 on the highway, but I have read that a lot of people report getting less than 10 MPG. Yee-ouch!
Who in their right mind would drive that thing? Not surprisingly it seems that a lot of people in LA are not in their right mind.
The Hummer was always dead, it was "brain dead", or at least it's owners were. That it took $4/gallon gasoline proves only one thing, that free market economics is an enormously powerful force that teaches even the unteachable.
While I am thrilled that the Eco-Disaster called the Hummer may well be on it's way to extinction, I am sick to death at the thought of hundreds of my friends, family & neighbors losing their jobs in this God-Awful economy. I doubt that GM will rework their Hummer facillities in Mishawaka Indiana to accomodate production of the Volt.
Living in The Neo-Gilded Age SUCKS!
I, for one, will be very happy when the last Hummer is disposed of the way that limousine was memorably dispatched in "Goldfinger"! I wish I had a dollar for everytime I pulled into a parking lot in my sweet little Honda Accord looking for a space, and some dipwad has taken up two spaces with his/her Hummer! Not only that, but it seems to me that Hummer drivers are usually multitasking while driving (talking on cellphone, texting on cellphone, etc.) which, of course, doubles the chances that they will rear-end another vehicle. Damage to Hummer--$0. Damage to other vehicle $thousands!! If Hummer drivers are paying hundreds of dollars every time they visit the local gas station to fill up, TOO BAD!!
Speaking of Limos & Hummers: I saw a stretch Hummer 'Limo' with a 'yellow ribbon' magnet on the bumper - Irony or Ignorance? You decide.
The Prius is selling so much that the can't keep up with demand and after 3 years, GM starts talking about building one in the future. One thing you can say about those GM Execs that keep laying off workers because of the executives dumb decisions - they sure earn them bonuses.
That's cause they're sending good paying American jobs overseas.
May they rot in hell for their unbridled greed.
What could put it and all other gas guzzlers out of their misery, would be a price at the pump on a scale of the mpg of your vehicle. You drive a car with good mileage you pay the regular price at the pump which is what, nearing $5.00 per gallon here in Chicago. You drive a gas guzzler like the Hummer, you pay, oh $30.00 - $50.00 per gallon for that same gallon of gas. We must make it as unappealing, unaffordable, and unlikely that anyone would want to own monstrous vehicles. On an every shrinking planet, there is no room for the gluttons of the world to have an argument any longer.
Some want to target cars. Fine.
I think that we should target BOTH cars and FUEL.
Amazing that GM and Ford are so behind the 8 ball.
Didn't these guys learn from Japan?
We need cars that get us 50 mph. We need new fuel, like earth based ethanol. And that is the end of the story.
What the heck were these corporations doing? TOO BUSY MAKING MONEY in the BUSH Administration.
The US is the laughing stock of the world right now, and Nero is fiddling while Rome burns.
Do not forget that there is a special tax deduction for buying a Hummer. When this tax break appeared about 6 years ago I had the thought that the Hummer was kind of a marker.
It looks like GI Joe's Mobile Command Post. Driving one is like wearing gang colors for Bush's political machine. You are one of the power gang. This all reminds me of 4-year old boys playing in the sand box, which is where our policy has been for about a decade.
We celebrate the demise of the Hummer, and are very happy that the Bradley Fighting Vehicle didn't replace it for Soccer Moms!
Here's a great segment on Electric cars powered by solar panels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atG1tWvfMhQ
I've told this joke in other forums, but I couldn't help repeating it here.
"Didja hear that they've come out with a new Hummer? Twice as big and gets only half the gas mileage of the original."
"What's it called?"
"The Dummer."
As long as I live and breathe, I will remember with amusement Limbaugh's on-air rant that the Hummer is a greener vehicle than the Toyota Prius. I guess he really does believe that a lie repeated often enough becomes a truth. He finally quit with that nonsense, but it sure goes to show what moronic statements will be used in the battles against going green.
Some of the brightest minds available are working to make our energy sources better. Once the GOP figures out how to make themselves rich off of the trend, they will get on board.
I'm already contemplating the movie spoof in my head.
"Who Killed the Hummer?"
:^)
"Who Killed the Hummer?", starring Gallagher? 8-}
Did you say 16 mpg for the Hummer? It only gets that falling off a cliff. (the mileage ratings are pure fantasy.)
As to the volt, when you factor in the carbon costs when it's plugged into an outlet, it will NOT be getting 150 mpg unless the source is certified renewable (wind, aquatic wave, hydro, etc.). If the carbon impact at the outlet is equivalent to one gallon of gasoline for the 40 mile battery charge, then it will only be getting 40 mpg.
Please folks, the plug in vehicle is not a sustainable solution unless it is exclusively connected to a renewable energy source.
I don't see how you can get enough people to buy these electric cars, because many people live in apartment with no electrical source.
It's about time!
I can only hope that the American consumer finally pulls their wits about them and stops being gulled by slick advertising campaigns. Appeals to machismo don't make up for 16 mpg!
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