Hummer doesn't...
Category: News Commentary...
Posted Wednesday, May 07, 2003 at 06:48 AM [GMT-6]

50 grand just doesn't buy what it used to.

J.D. Power & Associates rolled out its latest automotive quality survey, and — drum roll, please — the $50K Hummer H2 authoritatively lumbered into last place, with 225 problems per 100 vehicles (compared to 76 for the first place winner, Lexus).

According to this article in today's Wall Street Journal, this is the first time Power has listed the worst performers.

In the past, J.D. Power, which sells the results to the auto makers and charges them if they tout it in their advertising, only released results for the best brands. But bootleg versions of the survey often leaked out. This year, the firm decided to release more complete results itself.

I've noticed a proliferation of the new H2 around Midland, a sign that while $35 oil is bad for the overall economy, on a micro-economic basis it's very good news indeed. (I do hope that most of those owners paid for their new vehicles with cash, given the recent plummet in crude prices.) I'm unsure as to the motivation behind the local H2 buying spree. It's not because of the terrain; the overpasses along I-20 are the most extreme elevation changes within 50 miles. It's not because of the inclement weather conditions; over the past 7 years, we've averaged less than 10 inches of rain annually, and a heavy snowfall is one that your Pomeranian can leave footprints in.

OTOH, we Midlanders have always had a penchant for mixing style with practicality...witness the local oilman who put a trailer hitch on his Lamborghini so he could pull a jet ski to the lake (which, incidentally, is 90 miles distant).

Still, the attraction of the Hummer in Midland remains a mystery. AFAIK, you have to drive 120 miles to Lubbock to buy one — does that mean you also have to make that trip for service? The Hummer was knocked by owners in the Power survey for poor reliability and poor gas mileage, a double-whammy in this case.

GM's top management was none too pleased with Hummer's performance. "We are absolutely not happy with the results," said Gary Cowger, president of GM's North American operations.

Still, Mr. Cowger and executives at other top auto makers seemed at a loss with how to fix some of the complaints. On the H2's fuel economy, Mr. Cowger noted that he hoped the price of gasoline went down. Mr. Ivers noted, though, that part of the issue is managing consumers' expectations, and Hummer is not required to include fuel economy (indeed, GM doesn't publish it though it says the vehicle averages about 11 miles per gallon) because the vehicle is too heavy to be subject to rules governing light trucks.

Ironically, Lubbock is also home to the closest Lexus dealership. Go figure.