General Motors is "undertaking a strategic review" of its iconic Hummer brand, CEO Rick Wagoner said Tuesday, and is "considering all options ... from a complete revamp of the product lineup to partial or complete sale of the brand." As tempting as the sale of a widely vilified symbol of gas-guzzling excess sounds, analysts are skeptical of whether buyers will want to Hummer along. But GM's change of tune isn't temporary, says Wagoner: the company is making a wholesale shift to smaller cars. To further that goal, GM also plans to close four North American truck plants, and is on schedule to have the all-electric Chevy Volt in showrooms by 2010.
source: Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/BUSINESS01/80603053/1002/BUSINESS”>Detroit Free Press
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Comments View as Flat
redambrosia99 Posted 1:16 am
04 Jun 2008
workers
While its nice that GM is turning to small cars and such, I wonder what they're going to do for the workers that staffed their 4 manufacturing plants. I would think they could use those factories to build the smaller cars, so that all those workers could keep their jobs. :^/
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F James Handley Posted 4:32 am
04 Jun 2008
YES! Energy prices matter!
The relatively swift shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles in response to climbing gas prices shows that we can dramatically reduce energy use with the right price signals. (And, of course, we've seen the converse, too. Gas at $1.00 a gallon due to a "cheap oil" energy policy gave rise to the Hummer, its SUV cousins and McMansion lodgings.)
A gradually-increasing revenue-neutral carbon tax with a dividend paid to individuals would stimulate our whole economy toward conservation and green energy without bureaucracy and pork.
For more information, check out www.carbontax.org.
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dayla2000 Posted 5:11 am
04 Jun 2008
Profiting people and the planet
Though I'm sure the specifics of manufacturing trucks are different than electric vehicles- it does seem that re-skilling workers rather than laying them off would be the best option... something like a green collar job, perhaps?
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Ron Steenblik Posted 5:41 am
04 Jun 2008
What, no more flex-fuel Hummers?
Gee, what a shame: no more flex-fuel Hummers. Those people who sell the "ethanol guzzler" bumper stickers (not to mention ethanol producers) are going to be disappointed!
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mtvyfan Posted 6:27 am
04 Jun 2008
YEAH!!! Finally bye bye Hummer!
I can't believe it took them so long to see that this gas hog should be banned from not only being produced, but banned from being driven! The people who own these have too much money and too little common sense as it is. And I am STILL seeing these people driving them in Montana. Gas is currently $3.89/gallon here in Montana and I just can't believe that they are still driving them.
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