Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Did $4 gas kill the Hummer?

GM announced this week it would close four large truck plants and look at selling off its Hummer line. Apparently sales have been in the tank... which makes me wonder who would buy Hummer. It could be that the giant SUV will fade into history like so many Cadillac fins.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe not enough secret Hummer trails?

Anonymous said...

I bet all the guys with small packages already bought their Hummers so sales are down.

Anonymous said...

This just slays me. Here is a lesson in the dangers of attachment for you.

For all those years conservationists were warning of what was to come, that creating this kind of power hungry gas guzzling vehicle brand was a train wreck waiting to happen, it was socially and environmentally irresponsible, and to put all your eggs in the gas guzzler basket was a terribly bad business model. That gas prices most certainly would one day rise and the bottom would fall out of a market like this was inevitable.

But rather than prepare for this as the Japanese and European car makers did, rather than heed any kind of outside advice, rather than check their own social conscience, GM just hardened its defensive stance and bought into the politics of Left vs Right.

America's individual right to drive what they want, and GM's right to build what they want is what mattered to them, and what they built their flag waving campaign on.

They were obstinate and defensive because it translated into sales for them. There no doubt were people who CHOSE Hummer simply because they hated environmentalists.

And now here we are with $4 gas, and GM and Hummer and Ford and Chrysler for that matter all of a sudden are groveling to get back into the game. Now they want to be the friends of the environemtalists they pissed on all those years. But the problem is they're so out of touch and so far behind I wouldn't be surprised to see at least of of the Big 3 go out of business entirely.

So let this be a lesson to all you carmakers out there - next time pay attention to the world around you rather than obstinately defending a tired old position just because it has "always worked". Otherwise you might find yourself outdated and out of the game.

GM and Hummer brought it on themselves. The only ones I feel sorry for are the workers and their families that will suffer this job loss, and the poor losers who bought their flag waving political narcicissm.

Anonymous said...

Companies will build what they can sell---and they sold hummers, as much as we hate it that's how business works. Now they’re just adjusting to changing demand, it’s nothing new!! We here in the US still enjoy the second lowest gas prices of the big industrialized nations while Europe has been paying much, much more for a long time thus making these types of vehicles an even poorer choice to start with. $4 dollar gas may suck but it's still way lower than what most are paying and it's finally forcing people to look at alternative transportation. I for one could care less about $4 dollar gas, I think we'll be much better off in the end.

Anonymous said...

All you hummer haters ough5t to get a life, this is important to you? you guys are laughing at the demise of this country, I cant wait until all you green tree lovers get the communism you are chasing, what a laugh that will be, walking your way to some giant filthy sweat shot, working for the masters who have fooled you chumps with there environment lies into selling out this greatest of all countries, do you really believe those ridiculous criminals? Oh No the sky is falling its really falling, wa wa wa... idiots

Anonymous said...

yes they did becose they said it on the news said it i wish NOT but.

Anonymous said...

Gas never went to $4.