First Hummer H3 Arrives at Local Dealership

[TxDoc]

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/...0322/1002/NEWS

New Hummer H3s make world debut at local dealership
May 18, 2005

David Chaffee of Jack Cooper Transport Co. Inc. unloads the first of four new Hummer H3s at Orr Hummer in Shreveport. The five delivered to the dealership Tuesday are the first to come out of the Shreveport GM plant. (Greg Pearson/The Times)
H3 specifications
The engine: Vortec 3500 3.5-liter engine; 220 hp at 5600 rpm; 225 lbs.-ft. torque at 2800 rpm.

Handling: full-time four-wheel drive with 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic transmission; power-assisted, rack-and-pinion steering with tri-brushing mount design; electro hydraulic power 4-wheel disc, 4-wheel anti-lock brakes; traction control.

Wheels: 16-by-7.5-inch aluminum wheels, 32-inch P265/75R16 all-terrain tires with full-size spare.

Mileage: 23-gallon fuel tank; 16 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.

Frame: 9.1-inch ground clearance; 74.5-inch height, 74.7-inch width, 186.7-inch length (111.9-inch wheelbase); 4,500 pounds maximum towed load; rear bumper with recovery loops and access hole for Class 3 hitch.

Interior/amenities: power windows and door locks; dual front airbags and side curtain airbags; seating for five; remote keyless entry with panic button; OnStar with one-year Safe and Sound Service Plan; content alarm and anti-theft system; fog lamps; five assist handles; AM/FM stereo with CD.

Source: GM promotional material
By James Ramage

jramage@gannett.com

The Hummer H3 may be new to the world, but not to Paul Davis "PD" Flora, the world's first H3 owner.

The SUV made its debut Tuesday afternoon, as four models rolled into Orr Hummer from Shreveport's General Motors plant.

But Flora already knows the vehicle well.

After all, he helped build them.

"I work out there (at the plant); I've been around them," he said. "I think this will fit me real good."

Flora's H3, and the three others at Orr Hummer, number among the 1,000 built at the plant that will be shipped to dealerships across the country, said Hummer Communications Manager David Caldwell. And of the 37 Orr Hummer has ordered, 23 are already sold, according to Ann Bremer, a sales and customer relations coordinator there.

Pre-sold H3s such as Flora's underscore General Motors hopes for H3, as "one of the most exciting" of their 17 new models launched this year, Shreveport plant spokeswoman Donna McLallen said.

"It's a very important product launch," she said. "It's already generated a lot of excitement."

GM has been losing marketshare to its competitors, McLallen said, and the company is looking for the H3, along with its other new products, to help recapture some of it.

They're banking on H3's combination of luxury features, strong off-road capabilities, iconic look, fuel efficiency and price tag -- starting at $29,500 -- will solidify it firmly in the formidable midsize SUV marketplace and make the vehicle more accessible to a wider audience, Caldwell said.

A test drive sealed the deal for 68-year-old Flora, as well as seeing them come down the assembly line, as they had in various versions, since January. He put in his order for a fully loaded Victory Red model two months ago, and filled out his paperwork last month.

"I said, 'Man, this feels so secure, so quiet. It's just like being in a Styrofoam house,'" the 25-year veteran quality technician said. "(Inside), I don't hear anything."

A bigger vehicle probably wouldn't fit in his garage, Flora estimated. And the H3's price was just right, he added.

The H3 will be Hummer's "volume" brand -- or, the company's strongest product from a sales perspective -- according to Plant Manager David Gibbons. And due to its pre-sale activity and forecasted demand, it will be set to take over more of the Shreveport plant's production, he added.

"We are producing around 300 (H3s) a day," Gibbons said. "By midsummer, we'll increase production to 450 a day."

This means capacity of H3s will increase from just over 30 percent of total production to around 50 percent, he added.

Company sales members, mechanics and staff watched as the four SUVs clattered down the transport truck ramp. Flora's Victory Red model was the last to touch the dealership's pavement. The other three -- Birch White, Shadow Green Metallic and Boulder Gray Metallic models, respectively -- will eventually make it to the showroom floor, Bremer said.

Flora's Keithville neighbors are already lined up to take a ride in his new H3, he said. And he's already slated Baton Rouge as his first road trip destination.

His wife, Barbara Flora, is even more excited to drive it than he is, he added.

"I am delighted. I am very happy," she said. "I want to drive it."