SA-built Hummers making waves abroad
In the next few months, SA-built Hummers with right-hand steering will be on sale in the UK.
The left-hand drive Hummers were previously assembled in Shreveport, Louisiana, but soon it will be assembled at the new R100-million plant in Struandale, Port Elizabeth. In association with General Motors, Bauer Millett will open several more Hummer showrooms across Britain. Bauer Millett is the only Hummer licensee since 2002 and has been associated with General Motors since 1988.
Sales of Hummers in Europe have tripled from 624 units in 2005 to 2006 units in 2006. Kroymans Corporation has the exclusive rights to sell Hummers across 27 countries and feels that the sales are likely to grow further when SA-built Hummers reach their showrooms.
After its launch in America in May 2005, the H3 became the fastest-growing truck brand in the US by the end of 2006. GM acquired the rights to the Hummer brand in 1999 and since then sales have grown from approximately 1000 units in 2000 to more than 82 000 in 2006. The H3 is smaller than the original Hummer but still has all the qualities and off-road performance of its forefather.
The H3 is more practical and smaller than the Hummer and this makes city traffic a breeze. It is less than five metres long and has a 3.7-litre engine with the choice of manual or automatic transmission. Full-time all-wheel-drive is standard. It delivers 180kW at 5600rpm and 328Nm torque at 4600rpm. The H3 can climb over 407mm vertical steps or rocks and can ford water 407mm deep at up to 30km/h or 610mm deep at 10km/h.
The H3 will be very practical because of its smaller body. This makes it easier to drive in the city, but don’t be fooled, the H3 will be just as adventurous off-road with the “wheel-at-each-corner” design that allows a maximum approach angle of 37.5 degrees and maximum departure angle of 35.5 degrees, permitting it to drive into a hole and out again without getting stuck.
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