The future remains uncertain for General Motors’ Saturn and Saab divisions, but the Hummer brand has finally found a new home with China’s Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company. While that change of ownership will no doubt alter several aspects of the off-road marque, Hummer head Jim Taylor says the brand will keep true to its original DNA.
Taylor, who formerly headed up GM’s Cadillac division, took over as Hummer’s chief about a year ago. Despite Hummer changing hands, Taylor will stay on as Hummer’s leading man. The Detroit Bureau recently sat down with Taylor to discuss some of the challenges and changes that lie ahead for the Hummer brand.
Not surprisingly, fuel economy surfaced as the number one topic of discussion. Hummers are notorious for their poor fuel economy, and that is something Taylor and new Hummer’s new owners will address immediately.
“We need to head towards CAFE compliance – which means smaller and more fuel efficient, or we’re dialed out,” Taylor said. “Think of the smaller H4 we were showing at the auto show and it could safely conjectured we would enter into that space.”
Hummer previewed the H4 at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show with the HX Concept. The H4 was intended to be a smaller, more efficient version of Hummer’s larger offerings, boasting a more fuel-efficient FlexFuel V6.
In addition to FlexFuel technology, Taylor revealed Hummer is also mulling the use of diesel, hybrid and even all-electric drivetrains. When asked if the Hummer brand would employ one of those technologies by 2014, Taylor replied: “It’s 100 percent.”
However, there is still a lot to sort out between now and 2014. Hummer will continue to have access to its current plants until 2010, but it remains unclear where it will build vehicles after that. Taylor suggested Hummer’s new owners could opt to buy GM’s Shreveport plant where the H3 is made.
While the Hummer brand still has much to sort out before it can really stand on its own feet again, it sounds as if the once left-for-dead marque could be heading for a strong comeback. Hummer still has tremendous growth potential in areas like China and Russia and could regain some of its U.S. market share with a fuel-efficient but capable lineup.
