Crisis, as they say, is the perfect catalyst for change. GM offshoot Hummer has long been seen as a dinosaur in an increasingly eco-conscious automotive world, however the recently announced agreement to sell the brand to Chinese industrial manufacturing company Sichuan Tengzhou could be just the shot in the arm the marque needs.
Specifically, the deal could open up a wealth of alternative-fuel possibilities for Hummer.
It’s no secret that Hummer’s top brass intends to capitalise on its change of owner by upping development of a fuel-sipping luxury SUV, but it appears that such a machine may be closer to market than we think.
Speaking with in an Interview, Hummer CEO James Taylor said in response to the question of alt-fuel Hummers: Motor Report
Q: Will Hummer, under its new owners, maintain any ties with GM?
Taylor: It’s a transition, so stepping away from GM, on Day One, we’d literally fall on our face. We needed to put in place numerous transition agreements to buy services back from GM to less us be a car company. As fast as we can stand on our own two feet, those agreements, purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and the like, fall off.
Q: Going forward, what sort of products will we see, and would they come from the U.S., or from China?
Taylor: As far as I can see in the next product development cycle, it would all come from here. 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.
Q: So, if you look out five years, what are the odds you’d have some form of alternative propulsion, whether diesel, hybrid, plug-in or full electric?
Taylor: I think five years out, excellent, assured. It’s 100%. It’s a choice, then, of which one makes the most sense. It’s an economic challenge to see which one you can put your money into and get it back. It’s a little-known fact we’re just launching a diesel in the H3 in South Africa. When we bring it back to Shreveport, our intent is to make a version for the U.S., but right now, it’s not (emission law) compliant and we have to decide whether to invest the money.
Q: You’re the brand the environmentalists love to hate. How can you change that, or do you just live with it?
Taylor: That explains why the 100 mpg prototype helps by starting to neutralize some of that. But we’ve been going around asking whether there are other successful but controversial brands that can limit themselves to a niche audience, rather than the mass market we’ve been targeting. We’re looking for the folks who like Hummers and get Hummers and are going to use them for what they’re designed to do. We’re a solution for a small group of people. The Detroit Bureau
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