SAVE HUMMER!

[Hellbound13]

An effort is going on to save Hummer. Follow the link to see how you can write your Congressman as well as the White House to try and save this brand..
http://www.hummerguy.net/hummer-news/dear-senator-save-hummer-save-3000-jobs

[Seth]

Interesting. However, what can the gov't due to save a business that is dying? Should the gov't step in to save a dying company? Whatever happened to capitalism.

[Hummer Guy]

Not asking for a bailout, just that they make sure every credible offer was given a fair chance (and I'm hearing from within that at least Raser, was not, even though they had met nearly all the criteria and the deal made sense). Since GM is 60% owned by the government, contacting your reps is essentially the same as writing a CEO or board of directors who may hold that much control of a company elsewhere. It's a long-shot, I know - but I also know HUMMER owners aren't the type of people to just say "OK" and let the brand die - and never see the next generation vehicles and new vehicles like the HX.

[f5fstop]

The deal never really made sense with Raser since they wanted pretty big changes made to the production H3 for their purposes of adding electric power plants to the vehicles. In addition, the H3 you have in your driveway was not going to be the H3 you would have in the future.
As Raser evolved with the H3, would they have kept 4-wheel drive? Would they have kept the same model design for Hummer? Or, were they just trying to get into something that they could dump easily in the future?

I know all the propaganda coming from Raser, but I don't believe them anymore than I believe GM. However, I do have some friends still at GM, they are in the legal areas, and what I have been told is all you read on the internet is not the full story behind the Raser deal. Oh, and I might add, there is still a 1 percent chance it could go forward, but Raser needs to change some of their demands.

Just remember, if a new engine is supplied at a USA plant in a vehicle is must pass crash certification. Raser wants 4-cylinder Ecotech engines, not the I-5 or V8 engines currently used in the H3.

[Hummer Guy]

Actually, I haven't heard a thing from inside Raser - they've been tight-lipped from the beginning except for their (now ex) CEO letting it slip that they were in the running the first go-around.

What I'm hearing from within GM is people saying that the execs shouldn't have walked away from the deal, that it made enough sense to move forward.

While I can understand that GM would be concerned what future vehicles would be like, it seems like the market may be a better place to make that decision. If I didn't like the next H3 design, I wouldn't buy one - and if Raser or anyone else was stupid enough to alienate the current HUMMER faithful, so be it. I don't see how GM could turn down what may be a good business move on those grounds.

Kinda like me needing to sell my H3, you offering a decent price where I would make more profit than throwing it away, but you were going to put on accessories I didn't like so I didn't sell it to you.

While testing on a new engine would be costly, I can't believe any company would spend 10's of millions of dollars if they hadn't done at least SOME due diligence on running a car company.

Everything is so twisted and spun right now that it'd be helpful if there was just more transparency in the deal. Only the stockholders can demand answers at this point, and you know who they are.

[f5fstop]

No one I have talked to at GM has said anything about marketing, what the vehicle will look like or even that it could, in a few years become competition with GM vehicles. I talked with people who had been involved with what it will cost to swap out engines, redesign the layout under the hood for existing components (such as moving the relay panel and battery to allow Raser components to be installed). That is costly.

Also, a swap out of an engine requires crash certification. Which leads to some of the big questions in the deal. Who was to pay for all this redesign and if it was GM, then would it be worth the price to actually make the deal. (Let's say you have three H3s I want to purchase, you set the price, but then I tell you I want thousands of dollars worth of extra accessories added for the same price; and I'm not sure when I will be purchasing the three. I might purchase one today, one in six months, and the last one I'm not sure exactly when. What are you going to tell me? Simple comparison but it is early here in Utah.)

Some of the people I talked to were positive that Raser wanted GM to cover the costs; others (the engineering side), had no idea, they just had to price out the design changes with purchasing and didn't know or probably didn't care who was going to pay. I don't talk to the execs, I talk to the people who actually do the work, and are not likely to blow smoke up someone's rear to give a nice rosy look to the marketing of a vehicle. Some work in legal compliance, some work in electrical engineering, quite a few work in warranty ops and service engineering.

Then there was the question on how many vehicles Raser actually wanted each year. Was there enough to keep a shift dedicated to Hummer alive at the plant. Overall, it was going to end up a pretty pricey vehicle. The costs of the H3 from the plant, then the costs for retrofitting the Raser parts; either at the plant with union wages, or at another facility. Then they had to get the soccer mom/dad crowd back into the dealerships to purchase the end vehicle. The off-road community does not have the numbers to keep the line alive; regardless if Raser takes it over. They, as GM, needed that gravy train from the non-off road community. These were the people who purchased the vast majority of vehicles.

[shepherd luver]

Its definitly over! Just got a letter in the mail today from the HUMMMER customer support team stating the sale couldnt be finalized. the warranty will be honored by GM, and be certain that replacement parts will be available thru your HUMMEr dealer or GM dealer network. in most cases service will be available at the same dealer you have been going to already, so its OVER.

[Seth]

Its definitly over! Just got a letter in the mail today from the HUMMMER customer support team stating the sale couldnt be finalized. the warranty will be honored by GM, and be certain that replacement parts will be available thru your HUMMEr dealer or GM dealer network. in most cases service will be available at the same dealer you have been going to already, so its OVER.

Yeah, I got mine today as well. These are sad times we live in.

[Mark]

Got mine too but haven't read it yet

[H3-ING]

Got mine too but haven't read it yet

Yaa got it.
Just more landfill, or fire starter
Nothing we don't know already

[caljon88]

Me too, got it in the mail the other day.

[Bayrat]

Wonder if there is a fire sale on the inventory that remains. Would not mind canceling the Ford we ordered and grabbing a 2010 for the admiral.

[Mark]

I know that my dealership is going to try to get it hands on as much inventory as possible to get things going as long as possible.

[shepherd luver]

Today i stopped at my hummer dealer to buy a Steel OEM wheel to match the other 3 i have coming in. this dealer has a large parts and apparel/GM accessory store. several poeple were trying on and purchasing Hummer apparel. folks are buying up stuff fast. everyone at the dealership is Pissed about this move. this dealer (Bergstrom GM Hummer) is a mover of H2 and H3's. they were often advertised in AZIMUTH magazine. they have a decent stock left of 14 new H3's and 50 used in inventory.