Any good investment portfolio is diversified into many sectors. I blame the US D3 for not even having one "Prius" in their lines.
Make your Hummers but keep your EV1 too.
"Hummer", hmm...? Well, there is the the Hummer HX:
"HumDetroit 2008: HUMMER HX Concept
Posted Jan 9th 2008 at 10:54AM by Sam Abuelsamid
Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, HUMMER, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Detroit Auto Show
Click the HUMMER HX for a high res gallery
Almost since the launch of the HUMMER H2 in 2003, the brand has been the whipping boy of environmentalists everywhere and the hero of global warming deniers. As a company that has a fiduciary responsibility to it's shareholders to try and make a profit, General Motors is trying to expand the brand's appeal by greening it's image. Welcome to the first step in the transition to making HUMMER a little less of a pariah to the Sierra Club: the HUMMER HX Concept.
During the preview of the HX at the GM design studios in Warren MI, it was made clear that over the next three years all HUMMERs would be updated to make them capable of running on biofuels (see this previous post). The first to appear publicly is this new concept which may turn up at HUMMER dealerships in a couple of years. The HX is powered by a new flex-fuel variant of the corporate 3.6L DOHC V-6 now used in a wide range of GM vehicles. Read on after the jump to learn more about the HX
Gallery: Detroit 2008: HUMMER HX Concept
[Source: General Motors]
The engine in the HX is the first E85-capable version of GM's "high-feature" V-6 and it's a configuration that's likely to appear in other vehicles in the coming years. The HX engine is based on the newly introduced direct injected engine that's available in the Cadillac CTS and STS. The direct injected engine bumps the power output from 263hp to 304hp while maintaining almost the same fuel economy.
Thanks to the direct injection system, GM has been able to increase the compression ratio of the engine to 11.3:1 without getting into problems with pre-ignition when running on gasoline. This will provide a performance and efficiency advantage when the engine runs on ethanol. As a normally-aspirated engine, the 3.6L will still be able to get some advantage from the high octane (104 RON) of E85.
The HX itself is the smallest HUMMER yet with length that conveniently falls in between the two and four door versions of the latest Jeep Wrangler. The HX concept has been created by a trio of young designers who were hired by the HUMMER design studio upon graduation from Detroit's College for Creative Studies in 2006. The three were tasked with designing a new generation of HUMMER and they each came up with a design.
Gallery: New student Hummer designs
The final vehicle is a collaboration among the three, David Rojas, Min Young Kang and Robert Jablonski based on Rojas' design. The HX takes all the expected HUMMER design cues like the low roof line, vertical windshield, round headlights and seven slot grille and applies them to a vehicle clearly targeted at the Wrangler. Elements of other HUMMERs like the high ground clearance and short overhangs are maintained as well. However the HX features removable roof panels above the front seats as well as a removable rear roof section. Different rear roof sections are available including a slant back and a square back.
Off-roading is facilitated by the removable fenders. The fenders are held in place by quick release fasteners so that they can be left behind when you challenge the Jeeps on the Rubicon Trail. Of course it will be a while before anyone can try it with the HX. Something like the HX will probably turn up in HUMMER showrooms as the H4 in a few years. Hopefully by that time it will also have the option of the 2.9L diesel V-6 that GM has developed for the Euro-market Cadillac CTS.
HX CONCEPT PROVIDES VISION OF A RUGGED, OPEN-AIR HUMMER
- Youthful, open-air entry-level-size HUMMER
- Designed by a trio of young designers
- Convertible body with removable roof panels and modular rear roof assembly
- Easily removable fender flares and doors
- Full-time 4WD with front and rear locking differentials
- Aeronautically inspired interior with functional, lightweight design elements
- Reconfigurable instruments for highway and off-road driving
- 3.6L SIDI V-6 E85 FlexFuel engine with six-speed automatic transmission
Now that's a sexy beast right there!
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