The History Of Hummer H2

The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT manufactured by General Motors under the Hummer brand. It is a large truck (lighter and slightly slimmer than the Hummer H1, while slightly longer and slightly taller) with room for six passengers (including driver). The rearmost part of the H2 SUV was modified to a pickup truck bed for the 2005 H2 SUT ("Sport Utility Truck"). Competitors include the Infiniti QX56, Range Rover Sport, Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GL450, and Toyota Land Cruiser.

The H2 is built under contract by AM General at a specially constructed plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. Although it shares GM's GMT820 truck platform with the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, those vehicles differ in many ways and are constructed in three other GM plants. The H2's final frame assembly is made up of 3 sections: The front uses a modified GM 2500-Series utility frame, the mid-section is all new and is completely boxed, and the rear section uses a modified GM 1500-Series frame which is upgraded for the 8,600 pound (3629 kg) gross vehicle weight. The 2008 Hummer H2 does 0-60 in 8.2 seconds.

H2 sales were initially strong, but fell to 28,898 for 2004 and 23,213 for 2005. GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced on June 3, 2008, the closing of several truck and SUV plants saying high fuel prices have produced a rapid and permanent change in consumer preferences. Wagoner also said GM is looking at possibly selling its Hummer unit after reviewing the SUV brand that is based on military vehicles. The H2's MPG is not posted with the EPA, but is known to be lower than the H3's 13 miles per gallon. The brand has become the symbol to many members of the public of a gas-guzzling large U.S. vehicle.

The H2 was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2003. The H2 appered in the video game Midnight Club 3. Hummer launched a special 2009 Black Chrome Limited Edition version of the truck.

Engines:

• 2003–2007 6000 6.0L (366in³) V8
• 2008- 6200 6.2L V8

The H2 has a massive truck frame and has a wider-than-average track firm that may offer stability against overturning compared to some of the more common light truck SUVs, although objective tests have not been performed by the government or other outside parties due to its specialized vehicle class. It is marketed as both a general purpose vehicle and as an off-road vehicle. Because of mass marketing by GM, it is primarily used as a passenger vehicle on typical roads. Along with the Ford Excursion, the H2 is also a very common vehicle for a limousine conversion.

The Hummer H2 is also prominently featured on CBS' CSI:Miami, driven mainly by the chief of the Miami-Dade Police Department crime lab (Lt. Horatio Caine, played by David Caruso), as well as three of his colleagues: Detective Calleigh Duquesne (played by Emily Procter), Eric Delko (played by Adam Rodriguez) and Ryan Wolfe (played by Jonathan Togo).

In the 2007 film Transformers, the Autobot field medic Ratchet transforms into a Search and Rescue-themed Hummer H2 for his vehicle/ disguise mode. Production designer Jeff Mann had a car built from scratch: "We looked at some military Hummer ambulances and some Red Cross vehicles from the '80s that had an H1 foundation which eventually evolved into a search and rescue vehicle with a crazy color, kind of chartreuse green.

General Motors does not provide official H2 fuel economy ratings on the gasoline engine it comes with . Motortrend observed 12 mpg. Car and Driver observed 10 mpg. A reviewer at about.com got 8.6 mpg. Edmunds got 9.2 mpg. Four Wheeler magazine observed 10.8 mpg in their final long term report of an H2 SUT (pickup). Their worst tank was 7.2 mpg and best tank was 15.3 mpg. Consumer Guide observed 10.7 mpg, even with mostly highway driving. Automobile Magazine averaged less than 10 mpg. US News observed 9.5 mpg according to its trip computer. Cars.com observed 11.4 mpg according to its trip computer in mostly highway driving. Most vehicles (between 90% and 98%) get higher MPG when driving on the highway, due to reduced acceleration and braking (which burns more gasoline); hybrid cars are an exception to this rule. Car and Driver notes that the 2008 H2 is more efficient than previous models. .

Under the United States income tax code, the cost of vehicles over 6,000 pounds (2722kg) can be deducted from specific forms of income. This deduction was enacted decades ago to assist self-employed people in purchasing a vehicle for business use. The weight minimum was intended to limit the deduction to commercial-type trucks. For many years, the deduction remained below the average cost of a new vehicle, since large trucks were relatively inexpensive. Since it is a reduction in taxable income, the actual value of this deduction averages 30% of the price of the vehicle in question.

The increasing popularity of these commercial vehicles in the last decade, however, pushed their average price to nearly double the average passenger car cost. In response, the 2002 Tax Act increased this "Section 179 depreciation deduction" to US$75,000, and it rose again to US$102,000 for the 2004 tax year. This is more than three times the current average cost of a passenger car in the United States and covers a large number of luxury models, including the Hummer H2. In late 2006, the deduction was again reduced to US$25,000 for vehicles with GVWR ratings between 6000 and 14,000 lbs.

This deduction has received criticism as favoring large vehicles over the more energy efficient zero polluting electric vehicles, which received a maximum deduction of $4,000, $1,000 in 2007, and $0 in 2008.[citation needed](Although this was for anybody, not just commercial deductions like Section 179.)

Base price MSRP in 2008 for the H2 is $53,286. While the vehicle initially had high resale value, price depreciation has increased rapidly over the past few years and the H2 commonly sells for less than 40% of original price after just two-to-three years according to Newsweek.