Hummer HX Concept
Until recently the word small, agile, and modular remote from the Hummer. However, GM’s tough, off-road brand is facing something of an identity crisis as the public’s love affair with jumbo-size SUVs wanes in the wake of rising gas prices. A production model based off of the HX Concept you see here could be key for GM if it wants to keep Hummer alive as a viable, volume brand.
The gearbox of choice is GM’s 6L50 six-speed automatic, and there’s a full-time 4WD system with a locking center differential. Stopping power comes courtesy of massive 15-inch Brembos on all four corners, with six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston ones in the rear. The binders are hidden behind 20-inch wheels wearing custom 35-inch Bridgestone Dueler tires.
To the suspension is no slouch either. Fox Racing coilovers with 2-inch shocks and 2.5-inch springs support the independent front and rear suspensions — though the lack of solid axles is sure to make purists balk — and also provide plenty of wheel travel (9 inches in front, 11 at the rear) and ground clearance (13 inches).
GM points out that the HX was designed by a trio of young designers and it shows. While unmistakable for anything other than a Hummer, the HX looks like it belongs on the battlefield of a video game or a sci-fi flick with a laser turret in the back. There’s more to the HX than meets the eye, however. Its Hummvee-inspired slant-back rear roof can be removed, converting it into a Chevy Avalanche-esque SUT, or replaced with a traditional square wagon-like unit. The center roof is removable as well, as are the doors and fender flares, which has been a staple of the Jeep Wrangler since the dawn of time.
Does the HX foreshadow the long-talked-about H4? It’s likely. The H4 is not expected to arrive before 2010, giving GM ample time to come up with a conventional interior and a softer, more consumer-friendly suspension for those more interested in pounding pavement than dirt or gravel.
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