Hummer cannot have a heart

Hummer has spent years defending its rugged and superfluous image, but apparently now even the Tough Guy may have to admit defeat to green consumer preferences that are proving to be more than a trend. Hummer's PR and marketing departments are now succombing to pitching smaller, more fuel-efficient (16 mpg instead of 12?) models to those in lower tax brackets. Plus, following suit with the Governator, folks can always get themselves a greened-out model.

Don't be mislead, though: Hummer probably won't abandon its image of "crude, dispassionate elitism". There will undoubtedly be a resilient market of those who seek status through indifference and excess. GM manager Martin Walsh admitted: "We’re a niche brand; we appeal to a limited number of consumers who are probably less susceptible to gas prices than others." So, Hummer's pretty tight with people who are too rich to care about the world beyond their McMansion.

Plus, if all else fails, Hummer's scoping out the possibility of high-tailing it out of the States to market their unyielding gas-guzzler in parts of the world where "the green movement has yet to take off and the brand’s tough guy image continues to resonate." Watch out, Russia and northern Africa. Hummer's got one hell of an export for you; leather seats are extra but suppressed guilt comes standard.

Bottom line? Hummer still doesn't have to play by the rules. They simply have to get more creative in finding customers who continue to harbor priorities that make the rules irrelevant; who have the money to fuel disregard. Until then, they'll crank out some smaller models and call it even.

Sources:

The Financial Times: "The big, bad Hummer scales down"