Jalopnik
UPDATE: Looks like FUH2 has a little bit more life left in it — we've now determined the Hummer H2 will die in 2014. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for not reversing the charges. The Hummer haters at FUH2 will get their wish faster than they'd ever hoped. It seems the death knell of the Hummer H2 has been sound. Yes, that's correct, we've just received word a decision came down within the last few weeks at the General to end production of the H2. But if you've been holding off on buying that H2 with the 28 inch DUBs and sound system with enough power to make you sterile, don't freak out just yet. Instead of getting the axe right away, we believe the H2 will be allowed to live out its current product life cycle. This probably means the 2011 model year will be the H2's swan song. Full death-filled conclusion to every environmentalist's favorite target after the jump.
While we can think of a few reasons for the demise of the Hummer H2, one reason is greater than the rest — CAFE. Up until recently, the H2 had been exempt from Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards due to it's gross vehicle weight rating. Vehicles above a 8,500 lb. GVW rating did not have to comply with CAFE. The H2's GVW came in at a convenient 8,600 lbs. Just hulking enough to miss the Federal fuel economy misers. However, with the new standards passed by Congress at the end of 2007, the H2 would fall under the CAFE umbrella by 2011. No official fuel economy number have ever been released on the H2, but most reviewers have observed an average somewhere between 12 MPG and 9 MPG. That means continued production of the H2 would've taken a huge, wet, 87-octane bite out of GM's CAFE pie that no number of Aveos sold could fill.
Past its fuel economy woes — or likely because of them — the H2 wasn't exactly flying off dealer lots as of late. Only 12,431 people decided they couldn't live without an H2 in 2007, a sales figure 27.3% lower than the heady, fuel-friendly days of 2006.
The H2 was also the only vehicle left still being built on the General's ol' and busted GMT-800 chassis. With all the other large GM SUVs and trucks now on the newer GMT-900 chassis, the idea of spending money on the older platform may have quickly fallen out of favor with "Slick" Rick Wagoner and "Maximum" Bob Lutz.
With the FUH2.com website now irrelevant, we'd like to suggest a new site — one where we could all wave goodbye to the H2 instead of giving it "the bird." Excuse us while we go register CUH2.com.
Comments
Good riddance.
What the hell happened to that one in the pic?
Long live the Wrangler.
Well officer, I was getting a hummer in my Hummer when....
Hmm I say the general brings it back as a Hydrogen running vehicle and sells it in low numbers. People will buy them just because they are green and others will buy em because they are big and badass. Or load the sucker up with batteries and make it ultimate hybrid!
Good riddance to the DUMMER...I mean HUMMER.
@racerx: Gravity won?
@racerx: I dont know but it's one less we have to endure on the highway. It's a blessing.
What goes up the hill . . . must come down the hill. Some just do it with more style points.
The very image of the 'novelty automobile'. I've never seen someone step out of or get into an H2 that didn't look oblivious, vain, pompous, or shallow (or some combination thereof).
Watching a fully brush guarded H2 waddle around city turn lanes and parking lots is like wearing work boots for ballet. It was always the wrong tool at the wrong time. Good riddance.
I'm at work so I can't do it, can someone else link to a youtub of the Family Guy "I wonder what someone who drives an H2 is like?" clip?
RUMSFELD!
@racerx: Looks like it slid sidways and then rolled down a rocky hill to me.
Although I think Hummers are ridiculous, I'm kind of disappointed that they're just killing the H2.
A few years ago, I read about two Hummer prototypes... one that had an electric motor at each wheel and another that had an electric motor for each axle. And the powertrain was a 4 cyl VW turbodiesel engine mated to an electric generator and a battery pack.
An offroad vehicle with an electric motor at each wheel would probably result in a meaningful improvement in offroad capability.
I think the kind of person who buys a Hummer would be willing to pay extra for a cutting edge diesel-electric powertrain.
And if they paired that up with an aluminum chasis and composite side body panels, they'd have a premium offroad vehicle that people would still buy, still had all the capability, but didn't kill the company in the CAFE sense.
But I suppose they'll just have to use Cadillac to bring out cutting edge technology.
That is the first picture I have ever seen of an H2 doing that. My god it's off road!!!!!
@racerx:
Someone tried to go off roading in a parking lot cruiser.
I'll never forget first seeing these things at the Chicago Auto Show and being amazed at the incredibly poor fit and finish of the vehicles they selected to bring to the show. It was as if GM was saying, "yeah, we know this is an overpriced POS, but we also know that the vain and insecure will buy it."
The H2 proves once again that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
@racerx: Despite what the marketing and advertising departments at Hummer want you to believe, the H2 is USELESS off road due to its size and has been known to break stuff as the platform was never really meant to handle the weight. You wanna go off-road? Get a Jeep!! (my M715 gets better mileage to boot). Wanna be an off-road poseur? Get an H2!!
But Hummers are really tough!
Except in this video:
[uk]
+ Watch video
People, it's just a damn vehicle. It sounds like a snake pit in here. You'd think they use them to club baby seals or something. I don't like yuppie poser scum either but I'd really like to take one of those 4 wheeling.
@TomAnderson: Gravity always wins. Eventually.
really, how can you hate a product? Get a hobby.
I'd comment but my uncontrollable gleeful cackling at a picture of a wrecked H2 is making it very hard to type anything.
Could we get more pictures and news like this about H2's? It really cheers me up!
@halfshaft: That's rock 1, tie rod 0.
@halfshaft: One of the examples I had in mind when I wrote my comment!!
@Neener: It was probably dragged offroad, kicking and screaming... by an old, lifted Chevy. Then it was pushed down the hill.
@danio3834:
I think it's not so much the product as the people and image that are, more often than not, associated with the H2.
Rule number one of off-roading - If you don't break it, you're not trying hard enough.
Still pretty luxurious compared to mine...
Well, logically, the entire brand will probably die by 2011. Since the brand will only have one vehicle (theH3) since GM hasn't approved anything else.
I think they gave up too easily, given how big it is they could have loaded up the roof with solar-cellls and powered it that way
I hope the replacement is Bigger and more Obnoxious.
Ya know, just to piss of the greenies.
How about 8,000lbs a 8.1L mill with kitten fur interior.
Now that it's been mentioned, maybe they should take that tack with the advertising. The brand you love to hate. Think of the marketing possibilities...
"Does your vehicle make you look small and insignificant?" "Does your oversize truck not crush enough wildlife and not create enough hydrocarbon?" "Are you afraid your manhood is being threatened by the neighbor across the way and his Jaguar?". Buy a Hummer and you can perceive yourself as the master of all you survey as you go whipping by everybody on an icy road and end up on your roof because you have no idea how to drive a 4WD truck. Jackass.
Sorry, drifted off there for a minute.
@PolishDon: There's plenty of time to gussy up the HHR and call it H4
@TurboBrick: I just got a shiver up my spine.
There is a picture/video of a Jeep pulling an H2 out of a ditch somewhere.
It looks like 2011=1973. The body on frame SUV is going to go the way of the original Muscle car.
Maybe they canceled the H2 when they found out Roger Clemens drives one.
@TurboBrick: Wow. If I see a lifted HHR, I will kick the owner in the nads... and I don't normally condone such behavior.
@KaiserM715: oh please. the 'platform' is a GMC Tahoe, and it had years of offroad experience before they lightly modded it into into an H2.
They are fine offroad vehicles; Texas Parks and Wildlife in Big Ben National Park and along the border use them in addition to jeeps. They aren't rock climbers, but if you think that's what every offroad vehicle should be able to do, then you are an offroad poser.
@mytdawg:
A Chevy, a Honda XR and a strange shed/fallout shelter? Bollocks to luxury, I'm sure those are far more fun than an oversized tonka truck with wipe down seats.
History will look back on the H2 and note that it was teh natural spawn of the lifted minivan, low interest rates, cheap gas craze of the early '00's
@graverobber: Well officer, Its a Hummer what else do you do with it?
Before you guys get all too giddy and drip spittal and drool all over your keyboard, imagine it's 2013 and GM announces the "SON OF HUMMER" at the Detroit Auto Show.
@acarr260:
2011=1973? That might be true, and its a very, very disturbing thought, because it means we'll be seeing a retro pastiche SUV revival in ca. 2040.
I really, really don't want to see what 30 more years worth of safety legislation is going to do to the curb weight of one of these things.
@TomAnderson: Said in a hushed tone like Brit's covering snooker.
@Buckster:
With optional snow tracks so one can throw his clubs in the back and attend the Al Gore Baby Seal Invitational.
"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
-Mark Twain
@drewheyman: But with the H2 the vehicle weight was substantially increased thus making it's lighter cousin the 1979 Rocky to the overweight and lead footed George Foreman of today. Plus the vehicle is advertised as an offroad prowess. Full skids, OEM brushguards, 33+" tires. It is, as was mentioned earlier the epitome of poser.
Wow, they only sold 12K units last year? Christ, no wonder they disco'd them. I doubt CAFÉ had much to do with that, 12K units can't be enough to support production of anything by GM.
And you can bet in 2008 it'll be less than 10K with fuel prices being what they are.
GM will likely redesign this vehicle or replace it with something. Even with falling sales HUMMER vehicles still have the highest pure profit margin of anything GM makes. Also consider the substantial investment in the brand by dealers who have brand new, corporate-designed HUMMER-Cadillac-SAAB showrooms and you'll realize HUMMER isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
I shall dance on it's grave!
Buy em while you can, vehicles that are extreme and rare (12,000 is somewhat rare) will likely go up in value seeing as most of them will punished. You should buy a new one and park it in a garage. One day in the future when all cars run on Mr. Fusion your mint condition will be worth a ton at the 2038 Barrat Jackson auction. Doc Brown says so McFly.
@Buckster: Oh man, I *almost* bought a small dump truck that had an 8.1L gasser with a 6spd manual.
I thought to myself, with a pickup bed, that thing would be just PERFECT for my daily commute on the freeway, getting groceries, and driving over squatters shacks.
Seriously, next one i find, im on it.
As it's dying, I already feel the hatred softening. I mean, I've driven the things a couple times, and there's no getting around the fact that it drives like a pig drunk on Nyquil - I'll never love it. But as it fades away into relative obscurity, it moves from an offensive symbol of waste to just being a big truck.
Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I don't see the H2 going away without something to fill the marketspace where it's leaving. Without an H2 replacement, Hummer will have the H3 and that smaller vehicle H(X?).
GM still sells enough Avalanches to justify their existence. I'd be willing to bet there will be something based off the redesigned full-sized truck platform out there by 2011 or 12. Probably have an option of a light-hybrid too, just to take the wind out of some enviro's sails.
Man, buying that Hummer dealership in 2001 seemed like such a good idea!
Now if they can only stop production on the rest of the (civilian) Hummer line.
This is incredible. This sort of a damage to the Hummer can only be caused by no less than 3 angry mosquitos, taking a well coordinated poop while in mid flight, or your average Hummer owner. Hilarious!
Die Hummer Die - bloated, hideous and past it's day before it even hit the streets.
@Tocsin: I'll have you know... That fallout shelter is a 1959 Yellowstone camper. My dad hauled it up to his property somewhere around 30 years ago. I upgraded the property with a lovely 1970 FAN travel trailer so there's two piece of crap trailers on it now.
Situated between lovely Kalkaska and picturesque Mancelona Michigan. No running water, heat (actually there is a small LP heater), electricity, or real plumbing. I'm usually up there around once a month when I can get away. Even in the winter.
Pretty much everything I do is low budget so I won't be getting a Hummer until long after they rust through.
Strangely enough, I lost a lot of the interest of my peers about the time I hit mid 30's. Their idea of roughing it now is a 3 star hotel so I'm on my own much of the time I'm up there. Dad's still hanging tough though, he's got a mobile home a couple hundred yards closer to civilization. And 2 Jeeps. And 2 dogs. He's pushing 65 now.
I'll see if I can't locate a better picture of the Skanktuary.
Luxurious, it ain't. But it's home.