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The Hummer HX concept is a crossover Jeep-like vehicle that’s smaller than the H3 midsized SUV.

GM to unveil a 'small' Hummer concept at Detroit auto show
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Jamie LaReau
Automotive News
December 11, 2007 - 3:16 pm ET
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DETROIT — Working to expand Hummer’s portfolio, General Motors plans to unveil a small concept vehicle called the HX at the Detroit auto show in January.

The Hummer HX concept crossover is smaller than the H3 mid-sized SUV. The H3 is the smallest vehicle in Hummer’s lineup.

The HX was created by three young designers GM hired from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. GM declined to say whether it plans to put a vehicle such as the HX into production.

“This vehicle is an expansion of the Hummer brand,” said Martin Walsh, Hummer’s general manager, in a briefing with reporters on Monday, Dec. 10. Walsh says the HX would have tremendous appeal to 20- to 30-year-olds with disposable income.

The two-door, four-seat HX contains removable door panels and a removable roof so that it can resemble a hatchback — or slantback as GM calls it — or a square-back SUV or a sport-utility truck. It has removable fenders and a short front with Hummer’s distinctive grille; with the fenders removed, the HX looks like a dune buggy. Its overall shortened appearance makes it resemble an open-air Jeep Wrangler, but is more premium, Walsh says.

The HX — which has off-road capability — is shorter than the H3, which is 188.1 inches. But the HX’s front track width is 68 inches compared with the H3’s 65 inches. The HX also has a low roofline, making it appear very wide.

The interior has a strong center console with a wide and shallow instrument panel. The seats are designed to look dynamic so they stand out when the doors are removed.

Walsh says if the HX goes into production, it likely will be built on a different platform from the H3. It’s been designed to immediately meet global standards and therefore gives it strong appeal to countries outside the United States.

Hummer is in 37 countries and GM plans to expand the brand to Japan in the next two quarters, Walsh says. The H3 would be the product Hummer would place in Japan, he says.