January13
[Update: Live Images Added] General Motors has officially unveiled its Hummer HX Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, a vehicle sources say is a preview of the new SUV model usually referred to as the H4.
The final name of the production vehicle remains a mystery, but the consensus is that GM will opt for "H4" rather than HX.
General Motors executives reportedly previewed the vehicle to dealers at the annual Hummer All-Dealer meeting in California this summer. While it's not known if they were shown this concept or a production prototype, Martin Walsh, Hummer's General Manager made it clear a very similar SUV will be ready for showrooms in 2010 or 2011.
While touted as a Jeep Wrangler-fighter by the press, Stuart Norris — one of the three designers responsible for the HX Concept — says that HX was not designed with the proven Jeep model in mind. Instead, the HX was designed to exude the Hummer brand image and appeal to the young consumer.
Easy removal of the roof panels and rear-roof assembly enables quick conversion from a closed vehicle to an open one. The HX also was designed with several roof assemblies, allowing the vehicle to be configured as a pickup (with the roof assembly removed), a stylish slant-back or a traditional, wagon-like design that offers a bit more cargo space. It's not known if the production truck will have this feature.
Removable doors — easily removable pins in the exposed hinges allow the doors to be removed quickly — an appreciated feature of many serious off-roaders
Removable fender flares – attached with quarter-turn quick-release fasteners, the composite fender flares can be quickly removed for additional trail/rock clearance, or if the flare is damaged during off-road driving
“The modular design of the roof and removable body panels mark an evolution of HUMMER’s design aesthetic,” said Carl Zipfel, director of design. “These features demonstrate a deeper understanding of enthusiast desires when it comes to off-road driving – and the slant-back design gives the HX a look all its own.”
The interior of the HX was designed to be simple, stylish and very functional. According to Norris, the bare aluminum look was inspired by the aeronautical industry. Also, by removing the plastic covers to expose the metal underpinnings, designers were able to save weight and increase the HX's efficiency.
When asked what design features might make it into a production Hummer, Norris said that the overall ethos of the car would be carried into road-going versions — meaning that the materials and storage features of the HX will soon spread throughout Hummer's lineup of vehicles.
Power for the HX comes from an E85 FlexFuel 3.6L SIDI V6 — although no performance numbers were given — that is backed by a six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission is teamed with the 4WD system.
Live Images
Official Images
Pretty cool. I'd rather have one of those rather than a Jeep Wrangler.
"HX" was Honda's trim for high MPG non-hybrid Civics.
yes I want this toy. 6 speed e85 = nice job.
this car is pimp. i want one
I like the concept and I have no doubt that Hummer will be able to pull it off rather nicely, but my only concern is the price. Jeeps have gotten very expensive and Hummer being a niche, premium brand this could be a rather expensive Wrangler competitor. Oh well, I'll drool over it all the same.
Holy Xhit that's awesome.
How do you think the base model will look rolling around on 15"-16" rims and not lifted? It is going to have to be reasonably priced if they are expecting people to buy it and actually take it off road. The Wrangler is still relatively inexpensive to buy and inexpensive to buy aftermarket parts for. Dollar for dollar, give me the Jeep Rubicon over this any day.
Please say this is concept has only been designed for comical reasons…..this thing looks shit!
Stunning!
hummers umpteenth design spin off…
while fully aware that showcars are not always meant to be looking usable or practical in any way, i dont see how theyre gonna make a car that can compete the usability (space wise) of a wrangler without totally destroying the somewhat cool looking reminescence to the military version of the hummvee fastback…
my guess is they will just slap a box rear compartment to it, making it a (bland) 3-door version of hummers never changing "corporate design"… (which looked good on the hummvee, the h1 and to a certain point on the h2, but starts to annoy me on the h3, and even more on this hx / h4)
my idea of redesigning the hummer brand would be:
- drop the h1 –> has been done so far
- drop the current h2
- replace h1 and h2 with one single car, that can have different versions, one thats show off, street only, and one that can actually go offroad (in case anyone really buys that…)
put highly sophisticated fueling tech in, as an option or as a standard. people who spend the money for this car can afford it. and will - hopefully.
- tame the design on the h3
- make the h4 a REAL sucessor to the hummvees' offroad capabilities (just like the wrangler is to the willys jeep)
Its pretty cool but the production vehicle MUST have those size wheels or else it will look wrong. This thing is all about mean proportion and stance so it NEEDS those wheels to look right. Nice to see Hummer doing a smaller vehicle…should dampen down the eco facists for a while
It looks like a wannabe Jeep Hurricane:
http://seriouswheels.com/cars/top-2005-Jeep-Hurricane-Concept.htm
I saw this thing and having 2 Hemis in it will pwn anything. Too bad it won't get produced!
Removable Panels.
That was the promise of the original plastic car, the Pontiac Fiero.
I still think a car with (crash-worthy) removable/replaceable/customizable panels makes sense.
Don't like the hood? (ZR1 for instance) … Change it out.
Door dented… replace the outer panel yourself.
Want more speed holes (ala Buicks)…voila!
Women…want to match your Miata to your dress? No problem.
As long as they are not structural members (energy-absorbing, etc.), and merely superficial and aesthetic, would this not squelch the naysayers? Anyone recall the car that offered the replaceable hatch/lifback option?
hmmm….. ummm….yeah…..uhhh….. where have i seen this…….Anyways it looks kinda weird. Like an Lamborghini LM002 had relations with a old H1…. kinda cool.
Another useless vehicle from GM.
Purdue ….. the Nissan Pulsar NX had a removable hatch/sportback, but I don't think that's the vehicle you are referring to.
The hell do you need an E85 version of the 3.6L for? I wish GM would stop shoving this failed alternative down our throats.
Definite audience for this. Good look. Good tricky parts. Demo will be young so price will make it work or not. They need to get the 3 truck out – then it starts getting to be a viable line-up.
CA36GTP: I agree. A failed alternative indeed, and it is being introduced on so many damn vehicles. Noooooone uses E85, noone thinks about using it, it doesn't do anything better really than regular gas. It's retarded.
I like the idea of a Hummer H4, but I think this concept has too many design cues, it's just too busy looking . Obviously the production version would be cleaner.
I think this SUV has the right idea - overly aggressive looks, good stance, well-balanced wheels.
The main issues that are going to detract buyers are the slantback, cartoonish looks, and lack of two rear doors. The main reason the Wrangler is selling out of control now is the addition of the rear passenger doors. 2-door Wrangler owners are slowly becoming the small majority, and in a few more years most of the Wranglers will be 4-doors.
Otherwise whatever GM makes will be of higher build quality than the Wrangler, which might make it worth the price of admission. Either way, it's good to see this coming to the market.
this would destroy the wrangler.
Sorry, I forgot to take my meds this morning. I actually like this quite a bit. Aggressive, mechanical, and highly able. This could be a huge success.
I wish I could write more, but I'm off to math class. Talk to you later guys!
I don't believe my local Hummer dealer has any room left on his lot for those square things with mileage of Sherman tank. Does GM has anyone without learning disability working for them?
$3+ per gallon of gas, and contract oil futures trading at $200/barrel.
GM doesn't have a learning disability, they are oblivions.
a soft top would be gold on this suckaaaaaaaaaa
This thing will sell. Jeep has actually increased Wrangler sales this year (2007) especially with their 4-door version. A competitor would help keep Chrysler's profit margin in check. GetReal and the others need to get real and realize the US doesn't have a fascist society yet! Although corporate healthcare and CAFE are good examples of fascism at its best.
i like the powertrain and have been wanting to see a smaller h3 for a while, definately not a commuter vehicle but getting rid of the inline 5 is a good ider. when will there be a diesel option, thats what i want.
CA36GTP, LamborghiniZ- I agree and disagree with the both of you. While for everyday use E85 isn't coming out as it's intentioned promise of a cheaper alternative to fuel. I'll admit I had high hopes for E85, Even though it's been proven that E85 doesn't improve economy (rather it slightly decreases economy) if it was priced well below regualar gasoline because it uses more ethanol (renewable) and little gasoline (nonrenewable) than it would be more of a success.
As for E85's performace capabilities I support it all the way. If offers a higher combustion rate and increases performance often giving E85 compatible vehicles increased performace and hp #'s. I love the C6RS concept that runs off of E85 and gives that vette almost an extra hundred horses. While racing fuel with an octane rating of 100 costs alot, E85 offers similiar performance and is cheaper. If any of the auto companies came out with a sweet affordable car with a twin turbo V6 or I4 that was E85 compatible I'd jump all over it.
Also back to the H4. I personally love it and these prototypes are already being tested on GM's test track, So yeah by the end of the decade expect an H4 (hopefully just like this) to be in showrooms…
If it's competing against the jeep for offroad, they fail to even mention what off-roaders care about: clearance, solid axle, lockers, crawler box, suspension type, etc.. They also shun the words "AWD System".
global-lighting - the name wont be "HX". The X is just there to represent a number until they officially call it the H4 or whatever.
Sweet car by the way. Windshield is so flat though!
Did anyone notice the far-left screen in the dash of the very last sketch? It looks like a yaw sensor.
To all the E85 detractors, I feed my Avalanche E85 everytime I fill it up. Here the parity is around ~$0.60 with regular, and I do end up saving money. Plus the engine feels a bit peppier when burning E85.
Haha a yaw sensor, boy they weren't kidding when they said the "cockpit" of this vehicle was aeronautically inspired. I bet you'll be able to swap those fenders with a wing attachment and maybe it'll fly… j/k
Well it's soo funny how people rip on the hummer being sized down, while Jeep just added two doors to make the Wrangler a four door, to compete against what? cough… (H3) I was hoping that Hummer would come out with a 2dr version to compete with the wrangler and that's exactly what Hummer is doing. As long as Hummer keeps the base of this thing below or at 30k tops it'll sell.
Yeah Bryce it really does look like a yaw sensor though.
ss4life i agree with you completely, hahaha nice post
Hummer was a fad…I don't see more than one hummer a month.
^ were do you live? i see obnoxious h2`s 15 times a day in riverside ca, and 6 or 7 beautiful h3`s. last month we were dirtbiking miller canyon and saw an h2 doing some ballsy hillclimbing, of course we had to stop and take a couple pics so people would actually believe us.
lol @ CTS DRIVER. Yea, if you hadn't taken pictures nobody would have believed you since nobody seems to believe H2's are actually pretty decent off-roaders.
Anyway, this H4 looks pretty spiffy.
yeah affliction I see so many H2's and H3's it makes me sick. In fact I see more Hummers on the road than I do Jeeps where I live.
I work at a Hummer dealership so I see more in a day than most of you will see in a year. I think that they're still exciting, even after hundreds of soccer moms and wannabe gangstas. Most buyers won't use H2s or H3s for their intended purpose, but I still don't see a tarnished brand image. Besides, seeing some come in here jacked to the sky, or the ones with treads, give me hope. Now, the two pink H2s we did, that's different.
So has nobody else noticed that in the close-up picture of the dash it shows that "JEFF'S I-POD" is playing Village People "Macho Man"?
*Snicker. It does say that Killroy lol. That sums it up nicely don't you think? "I want to be…a macho man!"
Not bad
It needs a Diesel powerplant or they shouldn't bother building it at all. Why make something half-assed when you can overbuild something and make roadkill out of your competitors?
Just not enough "bling" for my taste……rather bland.
OMG!!! Thought I'd seen it all…Apparently not. This is, I think, almost the worst POS I've ever seen. It's unbelievable…I was building things like this out of LEGO when I was five years old and appears that this kind of design still appeals to people ( guys ) at the intellectual level of a five year old.
'LP', kinda like you. Except this actually is worth something.
The removable, well, everything is pretty damn cool. I can't imagine there will be a huge demand for these, but the few who do need a real off-roader should be impressed.
Need 4 doors and a diesel otherwise it's just a boxy looking truck - oh and maybe concentrate on quality so that actual off roaders don't have to be pulled out of the ditch by Toyota trucks.
looks like the warthog from halo
Ok let's all get realistic. First, no wonder America is such a gas guzzler with everyone wanting a piece of Hummer despite the fuel prices. Second, it doesn't take a genius to figure GM will make lots of $ if they make this due to point #1. It doesn't matter if they make some piece of shit non-offroad capable SUV. If it has the name Hummer on it, it will sell. Just like Ferrari is to the sports car community…
Thats right Veda. First, these serious off roaders y'all keep talking about buy old CJ-5s and make them invincible, body damage isn't a worry then. Second, this is much better than Toyota's attempt at a past life in the FJ Cruiser. Last, a truck like this, Jeeps included, are about image, you don't have to climb mountains with it…but you could. Build it.
It's appropriate for its intended market. I say build it.
I do wish Hummer would get real. Not designed with the Wrangler in mind; who do they think they are fooling?!