Racing
 Rod Hall in the 2005 Baja 1000.  Robby Gordon's Dakar Rally H3. |
Team Hummer has tallied one of the most impressive records in production-class racing, earning 11 class wins at the Baja 1000.
A highly modified, two-wheel drive Hummer was raced by Robby Gordon in the 2006, 2007 (8th place), 2009 (3rd place), and 2010 (8th place) Dakar Rally.
Licensing
GM had been active in licensing the Hummer. Various companies licensed the Hummer trademarks for use on colognes, flashlights, bicycles, shoes, coats, hats, laptops, clothing, CD players, and other items.Starting in the early-1990s, when AM General started selling to the civilian market, Hummers began making appearances in the film and television industries. Some earlier and noticeable appearances include seaQuest DSV which used the Hummer H1 in place of Humvees, and Earth 2 which featured a large, "solar-powered" Hummer Concept truck as their main mode of conveyance. More recently noticeable appearances include CSI: Miami, being driven by the chief of the crime lab Lt. Horatio Caine (played by David Caruso), during the 6th season of CSI: Miami, they received all new 2008 H2s with redesigned interior and in the 2007 Transformers movie the Autobot known as Ratchet transforms into a search and rescue Hummer H2.
Production facilities
- AM General Hummer H1 Assembly Plant, Mishawaka, Indiana – 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) plant opened 1984 to build HMMWV(HUMVEE) and began production of the Hummer/H1 in 1992.
- AM General Hummer H2 Assembly Plant, Mishawaka, Indiana – 673,000-square-foot (62,500 m2) plant opened 2002.
- General Motors South Africa Struandale Assembly Plant, Port Elizabeth, East Cape, South Africa - built in 1996, expanded to 75,625-square-metre (814,020 sq ft) to build H3 models.
- General Motors Shreveport Operations, Shreveport, Louisiana – in 2005 an additional 296,000-square-foot (27,500 m2) was added to plant built by GM in 1981 to accommodate the production of the H3. In July 2009, GM had shut down Hummer production of the H3, but the automaker had a special fleet order from Avis Rent a Car System.
- Avtotor Kaliningrad, Russia – licensed version of H2 starting in 2008
Owner efforts
Hummer vehicles have been called into use during disaster situations. An organization, Hummer Owners Prepared for Emergencies (HOPE), was created by the Hummer Club and the American Red Cross. It trains volunteer Hummer owners with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid skills, as well as basic off-highway skills so that they may assist victims during a disaster situation. GM had paid the Red Cross $4 million to participate in the organization.Criticisms
Criticism of Hummers includes the criticism of SUVs in general, although at a higher degree. Specific extra criticisms of Hummers include:- Size
- Hummers (specifically the H1 and H2) are significantly bigger than other SUVs; this can cause problems parking, driving and fitting in a garage. Their large size also potentially poses a serious threat to smaller vehicles.
- Ecology
- Safety and ecological perceptions from other road users has attracted a lot of criticism.The Hummer (usually the H2) has been singled out and attacked, sometimes using violent means, as a symbol of ecological irresponsibility.
- Poor fuel economy
- Even compared to other heavy passenger vehicles, Hummers without the Diesel engine options have very poor fuel economy. Because the H2 is built to the over-8500-lb GVW class, its fuel economy is neither published by the U.S. EPA nor counted toward Corporate Average Fuel Economy. For instance, H2 in one engine configuration averages about 14 mpg-US (17 L/100 km; 17 mpg-imp) on highways, 10 mpg-US (24 L/100 km; 12 mpg-imp) in the city, and has a curb weight of over 6,000 lb (2,700 kg), making it technically illegal for use on some streets in the U.S.
- Safety
- Crash data for Hummers is less complete than for other SUVs. Because of its weight, it takes longer and further to stop in emergency braking situations. As a Class 3 truck, the Hummer is exempt from many DOT safety regulations. The H1 lacks standard safety features, including child safety locks, child seat tethers, side air bags, and stability control. Large blind spots make parking difficult and possibly dangerous.
- Drivers
- A one-year long study conducted by a firm that provides statistical information to insurance companies so they can determine rates found that drivers of H2 and H3 Hummers receive about five times as many traffic tickets as the national average for all vehicles (standardized based on the number of violations per 100,000 miles driven).
Models
Hummer was the only brand in the United States whose entire model range lineup came with a low-range transfer case, relatively high-ground clearance, and off-road tires.Customized Hummer H2The Hummer H3- Hummer H1 The first vehicle in the Hummer range was the Hummer H1, based on the Humvee. Originally released in 1992, this vehicle was designed by American Motors' AM General subsidiary for the U.S. Military. Five years previously, AMC had been bought by Chrysler.
- Hummer H2The Hummer H2 was the second vehicle in the Hummer range. There were two variations: the H2 SUV and H2 SUT. Mechanically similar to the Chevrolet Suburban.
Hummer H3
The H3 was the smallest of the Hummer models and is based on the GMT355 platform shared with the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon compact pickup trucks.Hummer concept car
The Hummer HX was developed in 2008 as an open-air, two-door off-road concept car, smaller than other Hummer models.Aftermarket H2
A stretched Hummer H2 was customized with six wheels and marketed as an H6.Plug-in Hybrid
Raser Technologies of Utah was to use technology similar to that in the Chevy Volt. Raser unveiled the prototype the 2009 Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit.Using their E-REV (Extended-Range Electric Vehicle) powertrain technology, the Hummer plug-in hybrid would run up to 40 miles per day on its battery alone, then a small 4-cylinder internal combustion engine would start to generate more electricity.
