Hummer Guy

In a recent Harris Interactive study, Hummer.com has again received high marks. The Study found that Hummer tied for first place with Jeep and Cadillac, all scoring 8.6 out of 10. It’s estimated that among those using the Internet as a source for new vehicle information, two-thirds (68%) say the Internet was at least somewhat influential to their purchase to buy their most current vehicle.

Nikos Boutsikas, a Greek prisoner, had been arrested for stealing. He was able to coax the guards to let him out of his cell, then somehow made his way passed other guards and into what sounds like a specially equiped Greek Humvee. The guards at the gate waved him through after he told them he was on a mission. I’ve heard of preferential treatment when driving a Hummer, but this has to take the cake…He later crashed it into some parked cars during a stop for some snacks. You can check out the complete story here.

GM is known for its “Certified Pre-Owned” vehicles, but Hummer was always a notable exception. Now nearly 4 years after its initial release of civilian oriented Hummers, GM is giving pre-owned buyers more assurance with its addition of Hummer to the certified lineup. In order to become GM certified, Hummers must pass a rigorous 110-point inspection before getting the seal of approval. Kits were mailed to dealers this week to start the process, and GM expects the first Certified pre-owned Hummers to be available by the end of the month.

There is an endless debate in the Hummer world about Jeeps vs. Hummers — especially when it comes to off-roading. But what about advertising? With the introduction of the H3, the two brands are more competitve then ever. However, their advertising campaigns don’t seem to reflect it. In an article on The Martineau Collective, Jerry Hunnicut says, “it was easy to be brilliant back then.” He was refering to the time when Jeep didn’t have to compete with Hummer, and their ads. Hunnicut’s article explains the demise of Jeep’s marketing, as well as Hummer’s ability to find “The Groove.”

Road and Travel is the next publication to recognize the Hummer H3’s ability to “traverse a log-filled bog with barely a flinch before cruising its owner to a five-star restaurant.” In their recent Car of the Year awards, R&T gave the Hummer H3 top honors in the truck category. The H3 got high marks for being the first-ever available manual transmission in a Hummer vehicle, and also having a peak gas mileage of 20 MPG.

GM’s largest share-holder, Jerry York, called on the car giant to rid itself of Saab and maybe Hummer in a speech to the Society of Automotive Analysts. York claimed that GM can only support four sales channels: Chevrolet, Pontiac-Buick-GMC, Cadillac and Saturn. Anyone up for buying a division which increased sales over 100% the last two months?

The Detroit Auto show always has new and exciting concept vehicles. This year is no different. A company called ASC will introduce a convertible top Hummer H3 dubbed “Hummer H3 Cosmos.” Down the line, the company says it may offer the conversion to public.