No more new H1s

[PARAGON]

DETROIT - If you want a big Hummer, you?d better get it now.
The 2006 model year will be the last for the H-1, the hulking, gas-guzzling status symbol that has attracted celebrities and off-road enthusiasts but has drawn the ire of environmentalists.
General Motors says it will no longer make the H-1, based on the military?s Humvee. It?s the foundation for the automaker?s Hummer brand, but GM expects it will build the last one next month.
The H-1 has attracted well-heeled drivers looking for a military-style vehicle with an intimidating stance. For the 2006 model year, the H-1 was offered as a high-performance H-1 Alpha that costs between $130,000 and $140,000.
Hummer general manager Martin Walsh says Hummer plans to focus on models with broader appeal instead of the niche-market H-1.
Since taking over the Hummer name in 2000, GM has introduced the still-hefty H-2 and a midsize H-2 sport utility vehicle.

[PARAGON]

I'm wondering since AM General has some big contracts to keep producing HMMWVs for a few more years, they might produce a Humvee for the civi market in some form.

We are testing vehicles based on the G-wagon right now, to replace the HMMVWVs.

[HoKC]

• To ALL HUMMER DEALERS:
  
  This communication is a follow-up to today's IDL broadcast announcing the discontinuation of the H1 Alpha. Please refer questions to Jeff Edwards, HUMMER sales director, at 313-665-0230. Inquiries from the news media should be sent to Dayna Hart, HUMMER Communications manager at 313-665-7718 or dayna.hart@gm.com. Thank you.
  
  HUMMER H1 Alpha is its official name, but in 1992 when the HUMMER brand was born and first went on sale to the public, it was simply known as "the HUMMER." Now, fourteen years and nearly 12,000 sales later, the model will cease production at the end of the 2006 model year.
  
  While the H1 was the foundation for the brand, the HUMMER sales continue to grow exponentially around the globe with the introduction of new models, like the H3. Rather than continuing to invest in the exotic, niche-market H1, HUMMER will dedicate its engineering, manufacturing, marketing and dealer resources to bringing more new or significantly revised models to market. AM General, the creator and manufacturer of the HUMMER H1, will focus all of its research and development efforts on continuing to make the finest light tactical vehicles in the world available to the U.S. Armed Forces.Due to the H1's extreme capability and durability, it helped establish the heritage and extreme off-road credentials consumers associate with the HUMMER brand and H2 and H3 today. Since H1 has an unusually long lifespan (typically up to 15 years), HUMMER owners can continue to depend on HUMMER dealerships to provide warranty repairs, parts and service for their vehicle for many years to come. AM General's military HUMVEE will continue to represent the brand's extremely capable DNA.
  
  AM General, maker of the H1 Alpha, has been converting its assembly lines from retail H1 Alpha production to production of HUMVEE models, which are in high demand by the U.S. Military. AM General and HUMMER/General Motors will continue to work closely together to produce the HUMMER H2, which is manufactured in AMG's Mishawaka, Indiana facility.
  
  History of the model: in 1992 an unprecedented window of opportunity opened, when
  production levels of the military HUMVEE decreased. This enabled AM General, using the same assembly line, to build a retail-version of the military HUMVEE, which was sold as the "HUMMER" model. The model name was changed to HUMMER H1 in 2000, after General Motors purchased the marketing rights to the HUMMER name. It became the H1 Alpha in the 2006 model year, and included an improved Duramax 6600 diesel engine, enhanced off-road capability, and improved fuel efficiency and driving comfort on the road.
  
  
  
  Martin Walsh
  HUMMER General Manager

[f5fstop]

Sad day at GM for many of us....

[NEOCON1]

i couldant believe it when i heard it what will be the new hummer flagship ?

[got toyota?]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/12/hummer.ap/index.html

[DRTYFN]

Now they can put the extra Duramax engines in the H2.

[PARAGON]

Originally Posted by NEOCON1

i couldant believe it when i heard it what will be the new hummer flagship ?

Obviously the H2 becomes the lead vehicle for the brand.

Now, the whole "real Hummer" argument will become moot. Since the H1 will no longer be made, it will no longer be a Hummer, oddly enough. I wonder what they are saying over on the slow site.

[ckhagman]

It is funny how Martin says AM General created the brand but the news media says GM created the brand. Doesn't matter the media will never get facts 100% right.

Nice MPG quote from AP. Nice way to bash the beast on its way out. The guy probably never drove one.