Today’s Lipstick on a Pig award goes to the good folks at Hummer, for realizing two important things in their marketing.

1. Adding the letter “X” to a car’s brand name is basically guy-speak for “awesome”.

2. Adding unnecessary crap to your vehicle allows you to change the name and charge more.

At first glance, you might not see much difference between the regular line of Hummer vehicle and the Hummer H3X.  At least until you look carefully at that grill and notice, hey, there’s a brush guard on that grill!

Yes, the brush guard.  One of AskMen’s top ten useless car gadgets that I totally had to bring to your attention because it was entirely too funny to NOT mention.  I’m not sure how much offroading Hummer figured we’d be doing in one of their signature cars, but man, if I ever do go offroading I’d be glad for the brush guard.  Never mind the fact that the Hummer gets something like ten feet per gallon of gas, I’m just glad to know that, when I run over entire trees in this thing, NONE of them will be accidentally wedged in my grill.

So kudos to Hummer for making an already unnecessary vehicle even MORE so!

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Hummer has announced enhancements to their 2010 H3 and H3T. The new enhancements include an E85 Flex Fuel capable 5.3L V8 engine and three new exterior colors (Red Rock Metallic, Silver Stone Metallic, and Canyon Metallic). The new engines will be standard for all 2010 Alpha Series models. These new engines feature 300 HP and an aluminum cylinder block that should help reduce overall mass and maintain a balanced front-to-rear weight balance.

These new models are expected to arrive by December, 2009 in North America. The H3 will be priced starting at $33,390 while the H3T starts at $30,915.

Image Credits

(Source) Press

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Late last month we told you that GM was in talks with Tengzhong to finally sell off the dying HUMMER brand. Well, today, reports have surfaced that say the deal is officially going down for $150 million.

This wad of cash will net Tengzhong 80% of HUMMER whos vehicles will still be built by GM through June 2011. The other 20% will be going to a private investor which means GM will finally be able to wipe their hands clean of the brand.

What’s really interesting though is the fact that HUMMER, an iconic American brand, is now a Chinese company. What will come from this? Only time will tell.

via autobloggreen

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The badly embattled GM recently sold off its Hummer arm to Tengzhong, a Chinese motor company, and the first thought on everyone’s mind was, what would happen to the jobs in the area?  Most thought that Tengzhong would pull Hummer’s operations overseas, or at the very least, out of state.

Well, those autoworkers are breathing a sigh of relief to discover that Tengzhong’s leaving things as is.  The state of Michigan dumped fully twenty million dollars in state tax credits over the next ten years into Hummer, and expects Hummer to put in just over nine million dollars of investment into its new headquarters.

This is of course incredibly good news for Detroit, who badly needs any job it can get.  Losing more of them would have come as a serious blow, but the cost is positively massive as the state itself is having budget problems of its own.  Where they expect to make up such losses is a blank space at best.

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Back in June reports surfaced of a possible Hummer buyout by China’s Tengzhong but here we are 3 months later and still no deal. Today, however, reports have again surfaced regarding the buyout, this time notifying us that it is expected to go down in Q3 of this year.

There’s no official word on just how much the transaction will go down for but Autoblog suggests Tengzhong will be paying about half of what GM had originally wanted for it or about $200 million.

Let’s hope that under Tengzhong’s management, the Hummer brand will live on.

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Car owners who are planning to sell their car out there, listen up. One of the things that any car seller would be looking for is faster sales transactions. But to do so, you have to come up with various ways to entice the potential buyers. This does not only include limiting yourself towards discounts, catchy features or even great image shots of your vehicle. They do help and now you can look forward to something unique and original. Try a free video of your car!

That is the new strategy for car selling these days, something that should entice customers in knowing more about the car being offered. Videos are becoming a critical part of the buying process and with this new service offered by EveryCarListed.com via the help of Superpages.com, you can bet that car selling and disposal can be entirely easier if not faster.

Here is a sample video featuring a 2007 Hummer C2

(Source) Press

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Everyone knows what a Hummer brings but as far as China is concerned, it is not green (eco-friendly) enough to meet the standard of the country. Apparently the issue here is fuel consumption to which everyone knows that this GM vehicle consumes a lot. To think of it, China may not be the only country who may oppose the entry of the hummer because of this.

Prior to these issue surrounding the fuel prices and eco-friendly problems plaguing the world, the Hummer was a class act vehicle to have. In fact, being seen riding or driving one already places you in the circle of the elite who could afford to get one. But that was yesterday. Today, the theme is “Green” and the Hummer seems to be nowhere near that.

The country’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is also concerned that Tengzhong lacks expertise in car production, the report said, but the company dismissed the story as speculative. Insiders at the company believe that negotiations with regulators are progressing well, that the Chinese government has not taken a view, and that it will assuage any environmental concerns by promising that future generations of Hummers will be significantly greener.

(Source) NZ Herald

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We all know that General Motors will be downsizing their brand lineup. The only question is nothing is definite on which will stay and which will go. But if the people were to be asked, they are clamoring for two brands to stay. These are the Hummers and the Pontiacs.

This was based on a survey conducted by CarGurus. Almost half of them preferred that the Pontiac to remain while a quarter wanted the Hummers. Only a few cared about the others like the Saab and the Saturn.

• Pontiac – 44%
• Hummer – 27%
• Saab – 20%
• Saturn – 9%

So while the people have spoken, will these figures be useful in the downsizing efforts of General Motors? Well if they are concerned about the consumer purchasing power, these should something worth taking into account. Besides, they are concerned about their future and cars which will perform better after the downsizing right? Then again, this is just one survey. Perhaps 2 to 3 more will help them decide.

(Source) Press

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Holden Muscle 350

Auto enthusiast Jon Sibal produced renderings of the HGT to guess how a car might look if it was built by Hummer. His completed renderings represented an awesome-looking car, and he was soon contacted by Signal Auto from Bandung, Indonesia. They wanted to actually build the car.

The completed car debuted at the AutoBlackThrough show in Indonesia, with the new name- Holden Muscle 350. The aggressive looks of the car are backed by a powerful, supercharged 350CID Small Block V8. It looks like a pretty serious muscle car!

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Hummer is on the brink of being sold to the Chinese manufacturer Tengzhong but if/when they are sold, what well become of the company?

Well, in a recent interview done by The Detruoit Bereau, Hummer brand manager Jim Taylor said the following:

“We need to head towards CAFE compliance – which means smaller and more fuel efficient, or we’re dialed out. Think of the smaller H4 we were showing at the auto show and it could safely conjectured we would enter into that space.”

That’s not all though as he then went on to say that a fully electric or hybrid vehicle is definitly something Hummer will be looking towards for a future model. And, when question how long until Hummer fulfills these tasks Taylor said: “I think five years out, excellent, assured. It’s 100%.”

Let’s hope what Mr. Taylor says is true as Hummer definitly needs an all electric or hybrid vehicle that will make up for the gas guzzling models they have become known for.

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Immediately following the announcement that Pontiac would cease to exist, GM released to the public that their Saturn and Hummer brands are to follow suit.

GM has said that after the 2009 model year, they will not be producing anymore Saturn vehicles meaning. As for Hummer, 2009 will be the last year for the dying brand. However, Saturn and Hummer might not be gone forever as GM has detailed their intentions to sell the dying brands to anyone who wants them.

Sure this is a perfect example of how badly the economy is shafting everyone, but this announcement is no where near as sad as the one about Pontiac. I mean Hummers are just gas guzzlers, right?

Read (KickingTires)

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It looks like we may be seeing an electric vehicle that traces its roots from the Hummer H3 concept come this 2009 SAE World Congress. FEV, Incannounced today that it will unveil the Hummer H3 Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (ReEV) demonstrator at the upcoming 2009 SAE World Congress, held at Cobo Center in Detroit on April 20 – 24.

FEV partnered with Utah-based Raser Technologies (Raser) in the development of the H3 ReEV, the first vehicle equipped with Raser’s range-extended electric vehicle technology. The H3 ReEV will be on display in the FEV booth. The unveiling of the H3 ReEV comes one year after FEV and Raser first showed the technology as a concept at last year’s World Congress.

The announcement was made jointly by Gary Rogers, FEV, Inc. president and CEO and Jim Spellman, Raser VP of Business Development.

The Hummer H3 ReEV is the first range-extended electric vehicle based on a full-sized SUV. The Raser scalable plug-in series hybrid design provides 40+ mile all-electric range and 100+ mpg fuel economy. FEV performed the full vehicle integration including electrical and mechanical design. Additionally, FEV developed all software for the hybrid control unit and in-vehicle graphical display.

Propulsion comes from Raser’s 200 kW traction motor mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. Raser’s 100 kW generator, driven by a 2.0L SIDI turbocharged engine, provides electrical power. Although a full-sized SUV, the concept has been achieved with only minimal sacrifice of acceleration performance, cargo space, or towing capacity.

(Source) Press

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All it took was the help of JDM kits, known for totally overhauling the look of any car with the right features. Apparently, no one ever thought that cars could eventually pass as another car until this JDM kit transformed a Honda Crossroad towards a replica of a classy Hummer H4.

Driving a HUMMER in Japan seems about as practical as piloting an Chevy Kodiak in the urban canyons of Manhattan. It’s just not optimal. Solution? Take Honda’s pint-sized pillbox on wheels, the Crossroad, and HUMMERize it. That’s what Okada Enterprise (Motto: “We supplied high quality cars”) has gone and done for Japanese drivers looking to add more macho to their micro. That is, if macho means a HUMMER-style grille, abundant chrome trim, gaudy wheels, and (our favorite) a backwards-reading “HUMMER H4″ decal on the driver’s side.

(Source) Autoblog

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After the long wait, the 2009 Hummer H3T is available in Qatar through Al Mannai Trading Co. automotive showrooms. It has been a long wait for most people there, the only nation right now that seems to be feasible for trucks to cater as far as local consumer rants are concerned.

The H3T is based on the architecture of the popular H3, but features a five-passenger crew cab and a separate 1.5 metres long bed.

“The new and exclusive H3T has already made global headlines with its unique exterior, luxurious interior and distinctive specification. We are equally excited about the response that this vehicle will receive in the Qatari market,” said Adib Takieddine, Marketing Manager of Cadillac, Hummer & Saab in the Middle East.

The H3T is bigger than a midsize pick-up and smaller than a full-size pick-up, creating its own niche in the market. It also is infused with the attributes expected of a Hummer, including exceptional off-road capability and a premium interior that is as functional as it is comfortable.

The H3T is also equally capable and more practical as it can tow up to 2,676 kg with ease.

(Source) The Peninsula

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For the Chinese, bringing news and covering live reports as they happen looks like it will be done in style with this new Hummer Clone Satellite Truck. China’s first Hummer is now available for semi-private use, which is for companies and government agencies in businesses as forest control, mining, geology and more of the rough stuff. Hubei TV, a local station from Hubei Province, found another good use for the Brave Soldier.

The Brave Soldier costs around 150.000 US dollar in China, converting is would likely ad another 50.000. However, it is worth a few Yuan to have the news right from the epicenter.

(Source) The Tycho

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