A GM source confirms the company is looking
for ways of making a small Hummer on its various sport/utility vehicle
and pickup platforms. GM engineers and designers are working on
the project, but a chassis for the vehicle has yet to be selected.
One possibility is a two-seater, focused on the most rugged off-roading
possible, similar to the Hummer dune buggy we illustrated earlier
this year (“A Hummer Buggy,” May 9).
“It’s a matter of finding the right
combination of rugged components and how we can package them into
a vehicle smaller than the H3,” says the source. “The
main design factor is that any vehicle with a Hummer badge has to
be the most capable off-road, period.”
One possibility is to use a shortened version
of GM’s small pickup platform, which underpins the new H3.
GM product czar Bob Lutz is believed to be a
big supporter of the H4, and as a former boss of Jeep he knows the
competition intimately.
Hummer is also unlikely to launch a second range
of soft-roaders, a move that Jeep is taking to exploit sales with
owners who don’t need its “Trail Tested” off-road
abilities.
“It’s not the right time to be rounding
off the corners of the Hummer range yet,” our source says.
