Hummer at the London motor show 2008

By By Gavin Green and CAR reader reporter Sandy T

Motor Shows

23 July 2008 00:58

If any stand at London's Excel exhibition centre lays claim to being the least in tune with the zeitgeist, Hummer's must be up there. GM's military spec brand has only sold 128 cars in the UK so far this year, but it's present and correct at the motor show.

What’s new on Hummer's London motor show stand?

It’s been seen at US motor shows, but the HX concept is new to Blighty. It’s a smaller – mind you, these things are relative – entry-level version of the traditional monstrous Hummer, offering a modular body, a more fuel efficient (at least compared with the H2 and H3) V6 engine and traditional Hummer go-anywhere capability. Otherwise this corner of the Excel show that resembles an Iraqi war zone – aka the Hummer stand – features the familiar H2 and H3, the baddest SUVs on the planet.

It’s got to be the HX, but don’t get too excited... The chances of this ever being built are slim now that General Motors may sell Hummer. There were rumours floating around Excel that some Russian zillionaire might buy the company. Which presumably means the US military would surely have to go back to Jeeps. Can’t imagine Uncle Sam buying cars from the descendants of Uncle Joe, after all.

It’s worth sitting inside the H2 and H3 production Hummers to realise how truly appalling – note the cheap trim and the lack of space – American ‘premium’ vehicles frequently are. That’s before you look at the 412 g/km CO2 emissions from the H2. No wonder GM, like Ford and Chrysler in America, are losing buyers faster than President Bush sheds popularity.

This could be your last chance to see an All American dinosaur...

Click here to go to CAR's London motor show A-Z homepage

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By By Gavin Green and CAR reader reporter Sandy T