Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - (Page 33) AUGUST 25, 2008 • 33 Hummer hopes pickup brings new buyers Jamie LaReau jlareau@crain.com FRESNO, Calif. — Hummer’s boss calls the new 2009 H3T pickup an “enabler.” He defines that as a vehicle that gets people to difficult places so they can pursue adventurous endeavors. But that begs a question. Will the H3T be Hummer’s enabler — getting Hummer to that difficult place: improved sales? Hummer is in a sales nose dive partly because of soaring gasoline prices and partly because of the popularity of the green movement. Hummer is to environmentalists what fur is to animal-rights activists. The general public just isn’t buying Hummer anymore. Through July, sales were down 43.6 percent to 18,035. General Motors has put Hummer on the sales block. The automaker has hired Citibank to assist it in a study of the brand to see whether GM should revamp the lineup or sell the brand outright. In the midst of this, Hummer is launching the H3T pickup. Martin Walsh, Hummer’s general manager, said the H3T will help Hummer by attracting younger customers or adding to Hummer’s value if GM sells the brand. “It’s a tough market, but we think that there’s room for our © GM CORP. The H3T’s primary target buyers: Adventure-loving males in their 30s Head to head Here’s how the new H3T stacks up against the mid-sized Dodge Dakota. 2009 H3T 2008 DODGE DAKOTA TRX4 Wheelbase Length Width Height Curb weight Base engine Horsepower Torque, lbs.-ft. EPA mpg Base price* *Includes shipping 134.2 in. 212.7 in. 85.1 in. 72.1 in. 4,934 lbs. 5 cylinder 239 hp @ 5,800 rpm 241 @ 4,600 rpm 14 city/18 hwy. $31,495 131.3 in. 218.5 in. 76 in. N/A 4,437 lbs. V-6 302 @ 4,600 rpm 320 @ 3,600 rpm 14 city/19 hwy. $28,315 product,” Walsh told Automotive News at an event here last month. “There are people who still need to buy pickup trucks, and, in our case, to use it to pursue a particular interest that they have.” The basics: The H3T is built on a stretched version of the H3 SUV archi- tecture. The H3T’s 134-inch wheelbase allowed for a full-sized rear door and a full-sized bed. The truck can climb rocks, straddle brush, plow through water, hold firm to ice with standard traction control and get you to remote locations if you want to kayak, fly-fish, snowmobile, mountain climb or rescue someone dangling from a cliff. It can carry sporting gear, dirt bikes and plywood in its 5-foot-long bed. The base five-cylinder can tow 4,400 pounds. The H3T Alpha, which has a V-8 engine, can tow 5,900 pounds. The base model starts at $31,495, and the Alpha starts at $36,760. Both prices include shipping. “This truck speaks well to people who enjoy sports, the extreme sports and challenging sports, and they want to get to the best places to enjoy their sports,” Walsh said. The standard 3.7-liter, five-cylinder engine offers 239 hp at 5,800 rpms and 241 pounds-feet of torque at 4,600 rpms. The 5.3-liter V-8 gets 300 hp at 5,200 rpms and 320 poundsfeet of torque at 4,000 rpms. The H3T gets 14 mpg city and 18 mpg highway fuel economy. The V-8 model gets 13/16. Walsh said that’s better fuel economy than most fourwheel-drive full-sized trucks get, but this is a mid-sized truck competing against vehicles such as the Dodge Dakota and the Toyota Tacoma. The base Tacoma and the Dakota get 16 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Notable features: It’s a five-passenger crew cab with plenty of interior room and a comfortable ride. It’s easy to drive. Compromises and shortcomings: To save the expense of special engine mounts, different exhaust systems and other added content, GM engineers opted out of putting a cylinder deactivation system on the H3T. That might have given it a better fuel economy rating. With a cylinder deactivation system, the engine control computer shuts down fuel delivery to some of the cylinders when the vehicle reaches cruising speed and thus saves fuel. Nuts and bolts: The H3T is an adventure junkie’s dream. It is targeted to mostly males in their 30s with a $90,000 annual household income. It’s built in GM’s plant in Shreveport, La., alongside the H3 SUV. The skinny: It’s the wrong vehicle at the wrong time. Most consumers don’t do a lot of off-roading, and the days of buying a pickup as a fashion statement are over. So, except for forest rangers and FEMA officials, the audience for this vehicle is small. c ® ■ 50 with Jeep Dick Hannah, center, of Hannah Chrysler-Jeep in Vancouver, Wash., receives a 50-year award for Jeep from Jeff D’Annibale, left, a dealer operations manager for sales at Chrysler LLC’s West Business Center; and Charles Gray, a dealer operations manager for service and parts at the business center. ■ 25 with Ford Brent Lilliston, left, and John Lilliston of Lilliston Ford in Vineland, N.J., received a 25-year award for Ford from Ford Motor Co. Dealer anniversary awards We invite news items and top-quality photo for the dealers section. We do not run items for anniversaries of fewer than 25 years. Photos for 25-45 years (one-column photos) should include only two people posed shoulder to shoulder. Photos for 50 or more years (two-column photos) should have no more than six people. Please include names (left to right), titles, dealership name and city, franchise(s) held and franchise for which award is given. Please include your telephone number or e-mail address. You may send a photo electronically in jpg format and at high resolution (300 dpi). E-mail items to: autonews@crain.com Or send them to: Dealers Section Automotive News 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207-2997 Milestones Ray Farabaugh, a co-owner; D. Patrick O’Daniel, the retired dealer; and Mike O’Daniel, a coowner, of D-Patrick Downtown Ford in Evansville, Ind., received a 50-year award for Ford from Ford Motor Co. Guarantee offer for first time customers only. ACTION INTEGRATED MARKETING PROVIDES FULL-SERVICE & EVENT MARKETING SOLUTIONS FOR DEALERSHIPS NATIONWIDE http://www.guidepointsystems.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - August 25, 2008 Automotive News - August 25, 2008 Looming cuts worry L-M dealers Bad blood Study: Toyota top U.S. lender How the kid got in the picture Hyundai affiliate to build transmission plant White House names acting NHTSA chief S&P lowers outlook on Sonic, Group 1 Now you can talk back: Join our online community Dodge dealers: We're in a box Company gets a fix-it list for pickups, SUVs from J.D. Power Mahindra delays U.S. launch Dealer Beyer now selling a 2009 Obama Nissan to leap into U.S. commercial-truck fray in 2010 China's Brilliance to show cars in Detroit Lawsuit alleges insider trades by CarMax execs Honda: Dealerships will have Fits more than a month early Infiniti's stylish stretch Cadillac will offer 4-cylinder sedan in '10 Chrysler redesigns new design boss' spot in exec ranks Genesis aims at low-priced luxury Letter to the Editor It's show and tell for auto industry in Washington Price cuts both ways The love affair continues Advance ads cost a lot, but help little Dealer-customer mandatory arbitration works Lithia sheds 2 of its Detroit 3 stores Japan sales slide; output, exports keep expanding L.A. dealers split on taking thumbprints of buyers Picture This With redesigned TL, Acura adds power, awd Personnel Chevrolet adjusts plans for coming decade GM revamps its vehicle lineup to succeed in a changed world Caddy relies on model updates over product development Buick buzzes about China Dismal sales make future of Hummer uncertain Budgets may crimp the lineup at Saturn Dreams aside, Pontiac will rely on small fwd cars Will GMC overhaul truck offerings? GM downsizes product lineup GM's powertrain plan: Less weight, better technology Hummer hopes pickup brings new buyers Dealers 'Ambush' boosts GM Certified DealerTrack adds market price checks Wholesale used-vehicle prices inch up in July Mexico sales up 2.6% in July; '08 near pace of '07 Collectors revive GM classics Honda's new Fit subcompact: Bigger, sportier Survey: Suppliers reconsider business with Chrysler Web site offers vehicle listings from Detroit 3 Nissan trains inspectors to improve quality A bumpy ride for dealer/lawmaker Buchanan Detroit dealers duel over bulk mailing Story links Nissan suicides, work pressure Times change, but supplier talk doesn't Garbage in, good stuff out Creed's creations Automotive News - August 25, 2008 Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - (Page Intro) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - (Page BRC1) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - (Page BRC2) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Study: Toyota top U.S. lender (Page 1) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Study: Toyota top U.S. lender (Page 2) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Dodge dealers: We're in a box (Page 3) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Nissan to leap into U.S. commercial-truck fray in 2010 (Page 4) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Nissan to leap into U.S. commercial-truck fray in 2010 (Page 5) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Cadillac will offer 4-cylinder sedan in '10 (Page 6) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Cadillac will offer 4-cylinder sedan in '10 (Page 7) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Genesis aims at low-priced luxury (Page 8) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Genesis aims at low-priced luxury (Page 9) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Genesis aims at low-priced luxury (Page 10) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Genesis aims at low-priced luxury (Page 11) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - The love affair continues (Page 12) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - The love affair continues (Page 13) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Dealer-customer mandatory arbitration works (Page 14) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Dealer-customer mandatory arbitration works (Page 15) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Lithia sheds 2 of its Detroit 3 stores (Page 16) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Lithia sheds 2 of its Detroit 3 stores (Page 16a) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Lithia sheds 2 of its Detroit 3 stores (Page 16b) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Japan sales slide; output, exports keep expanding (Page 17) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Japan sales slide; output, exports keep expanding (Page 18) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Japan sales slide; output, exports keep expanding (Page 19) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Picture This (Page 20) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Picture This (Page 21) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Picture This (Page 22) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - With redesigned TL, Acura adds power, awd (Page 23) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Personnel (Page 24) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Personnel (Page 24a) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Personnel (Page 24b) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Personnel (Page 24c) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Personnel (Page 24d) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Personnel (Page 25) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - GM revamps its vehicle lineup to succeed in a changed world (Page 26) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Caddy relies on model updates over product development (Page 27) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Budgets may crimp the lineup at Saturn (Page 28) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Budgets may crimp the lineup at Saturn (Page 29) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Dreams aside, Pontiac will rely on small fwd cars (Page 30) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - GM downsizes product lineup (Page 31) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - GM's powertrain plan: Less weight, better technology (Page 32) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Dealers (Page 33) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Wholesale used-vehicle prices inch up in July (Page 34) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Wholesale used-vehicle prices inch up in July (Page 35) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Wholesale used-vehicle prices inch up in July (Page 36) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Wholesale used-vehicle prices inch up in July (Page 37) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Wholesale used-vehicle prices inch up in July (Page 38) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Mexico sales up 2.6% in July; '08 near pace of '07 (Page 39) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Collectors revive GM classics (Page 40) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Honda's new Fit subcompact: Bigger, sportier (Page 41) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Survey: Suppliers reconsider business with Chrysler (Page 42) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Survey: Suppliers reconsider business with Chrysler (Page 43) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Nissan trains inspectors to improve quality (Page 44) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Nissan trains inspectors to improve quality (Page 45) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Creed's creations (Page 46) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Creed's creations (Page 47) Automotive News - August 25, 2008 - Creed's creations (Page 48)
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