Driveline Chatter
Martin Walsh, Hummer General Manager
Drivelines: The Hummer brand has become, in the eyes of environmentalists, a poster child for all that's wrong about gas-guzzling SUVs. What's your side of the story on Hummer's environmental impact?
Martin Walsh: Hummers are an easy target for anti-SUV organizations because they stand out from the crowd, and most people can recognize a Hummer. What people don't know is that the fuel economy and emissions of our vehicles are actually very competitive with other vehicles in their segment. For example, the H3 delivers city fuel economy ratings better than or equal to 11 other midsize SUVs. The H2 represents only 2.2 percent of the total unregulated heavy-duty vehicle market, and versions of the higher-volume competitors have a much greater negative environmental impact than the low-volume H2. We are committed to educating Hummer owners about responsible off-roading, and we are helping preserve ORV trails through our partnership with Tread Lightly! and our involvement with groups like the Friends of the Rubicon.
DL: What do Hummer racers Rod, Chad, and Josh Hall do for Hummer as a brand? Purely marketing and product exposure, or are there engineering benefits as well?
ML: Hummer off-road racing is an area of great pride for us. Team Hummer competes in Best in the Desert's and SCORE International's Baja 1000 stock class, which features production-based vehicles with stock frames, stock suspension designs and production-based engines. The team's H2 and H3 were built by GM engineers at the Desert Proving Grounds in Arizona. The close-to-stock configuration of the race trucks provides engineers a valuable method of observing the H2 and H3 in extreme driving situations. Engineering participation in racing has resulted in many improvements to the trucks we sell to customers at Hummer dealerships, including improved components, especially in the areas of suspension bushings, exhaust systems, and wiring harness routing and configuration.
DL: Speaking of engineering benefits, does much tech trickle down from the military applications to the civilian vehicles?
ML: Just as the original HMMWV had to meet certain criteria-travel at least 60 miles per hour, with a range of at least 300 miles, climb a 60 percent grade and ford 30 inches of water-the H2 and H3 were held to the same strict standards when they were developed. They may not have to parachute out of a military cargo plane, but they have to be rugged enough to drive home after making their way over the rocky trails at Moab and the Rubicon. In addition, they have to do all those things while wrapped in sheetmetal that expresses the brand's iconic design.
DL: Why was the H1 Alpha discontinued? What kinds of parts and service support can current owners expect going forward, and will Hummer replace it with another fullsize entry, or perhaps move into different market segments?
ML: While the H1 was the foundation for the brand, Hummer sales continue to grow primarily thanks to the smaller H3, with its appealing price, fuel efficiency, and off-road merits. Rather than continuing to invest in the niche-market H1, we decided to dedicate our resources to creating new models with broader market appeal. H1 owners can continue to have their vehicles repaired and serviced at Hummer dealerships for many years. Looking to the future, there's room for us to expand beyond the segments in which we now compete. All Hummer models will include two key ingredients: iconic design and unparalleled off-road capabilities.
This Just In
* This year's Hummer Homecoming did more than just bring Hummer enthusiasts together for their annual get-together in South Bend, Indiana. In addition to driving classes and a Lee Greenwood concert, the Homecoming included a fundraising silent auction for Tread Lightly!, as well as an awareness workshop hosted by the outdoor recreation advocates.
* Tom, we hate to see you go: Tom Reider, long-time manufacturer and retailer of differential and axle components, is planning to retire from the gearing business. In preparation for that change, Precision Gear/Reider Racing is merging with Alloy USA. According to a joint press release, the move "will provide additional reach for both company's brands into the drivetrain marketplace while adding efficiencies in operations." Following a transition period and Reider's retirement, Alloy USA's president, Ron Stobaugh, will take the reins of all three companies.
* Cummins has brokered an agreement with one of the Detroit Big Three to produce a light-duty diesel engine family for use in pickup trucks and SUVs by 2010. While the engine maker won't confirm the client, and none of the automakers are talking, conventional wisdom points to Dodge as the most likely recipient. Automotive News is reporting that a 4.2L V-6 and 5.6L V-8 are being developed for the Ram and Durango. This would give Dodge a diesel to compete with the 4.4L diesel-sourced from Land Rover-that Ford is rumored to be readying for the F-150. AN says the 4.2 will produce 190 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque, while the 5.6 will make 260 hp and 597 lb-ft of torque, not all that far away from the 325 hp and 610 lb-ft made by the current 5.9L H.O. Cummins I-6.
Environmental & Political Watch
* BlueRibbon Coalition's Del Albright sent word that Hummer has made a donation to the Rubicon Trail Foundation in the form of cash and much-needed supplies, including "dozens of pairs of quality work gloves, a first aid kit, dozens of hooded ponchos (not that it ever rains when you have an open rig on the trail), and even some skeeter spray. This is the kind of support that really makes saving the Rubicon a lot easier. And to top this off, several Hummer folks (and even some of the engineering staff) volunteered to help out with a Friends of the Rubicon work weekend. Now that is what we call a manufacturer who really knows how to step up to the plate and help keep a trail alive and well."
* Environmental news courtesy of SEMA: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger petitioned the federal government to set aside 4.4 million acres of national forest in California as "roadless." The petition was in response to a rule that gave states until November 2006 to request the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to open areas previously closed under the Clinton Administration's so-called "roadless rule." Of California's 20.7 million acres in 18 national forests, the petition will prohibit development (and potentially deny access to off-roaders) on over 20 percent of these areas. If the petition is accepted, California and the USFS will work to write state-specific rules that will be subject to public review and National Environmental Policy Act analysis.
* The U.S. House of Representatives approved three measures that would create over 677,000 acres of new wilderness areas in California, Idaho, and Oregon. While OHV use is traditionally restricted in wilderness areas, provisions were included in the three bills to establish adjacent or nearby areas which would be open to OHV use. Introduced by Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), 275,000 acres in five Northern California counties (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa) would be designated as wilderness. As part of a compromise reached with House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA), approximately 79,000 acres would be set aside as recreation management areas for off-road vehicles. The bill goes to the Senate, which has already approved a wilderness designation for these areas, but now must agree to the changes made under the House compromise. House lawmakers also approved legislation that would create three wilderness areas in Central Idaho totaling almost 300,000 acres. As part of a compromise reached by the bill's sponsor, 130,000 acres of wilderness study areas would be opened to off-road use. In addition, the bill provides for the creation of a state motorized park. The House also approved a separate measure which would increase the Mount Hood Wilderness Area in Oregon by 41 percent. Included in the bill were provisions for the conversion of old forest roads into new recreational trails and to provide for a revenue sharing system for the fees collected from recreation and land use. Both the Idaho and Oregon measures now move to the Senate for consideration.
* Missouri has signed into law SEMA-backed legislation to exempt vehicles manufactured prior to 1996 from the emissions inspection process. Under the new law, motor vehicles manufactured prior to 1996 will only be subject to a gas-cap pressure test as part of the state's biennial safety inspection program. In addition, newer motor vehicles that have not been previously titled and registered will be exempted from emissions inspections for the four-year period following their model year of manufacture, provided they are driven less than 40,000 miles for the first two years. All motor vehicles driven less than 12,000 miles between the biennial safety inspection are also exempt.