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Reuters Article: Hummer Vs. Jeep in SUV Sweepstakes

Hummer Vs. Jeep in SUV Sweepstakes
Sunday January 18, 1:19 PM EST

By Michael Ellis

DETROIT (Reuters) - A long-simmering dispute between the beefy sport utility
brands Hummer and Jeep has heated up with one-upmanship claims and
accusations of copied designs.

The mud-slinging between the off-road SUV brands began nearly three years
ago when DaimlerChrysler AG's Jeep claimed the about-to-be launched Hummer
H2 from General Motors Corp. copied its grille.

That battle ended when a judge allowed the H2 to go into production, but now
the war has moved from the courtroom to television commercials, the printed
page and the auto show floor.

At stake is one of the fastest-growing and most profitable segments of the
market. With sales of the Hummer H2 far above forecasts since it was
launched 19 months ago, and GM making plans to expand the brand, Hummer is
making a serious run at Jeep's claim to be the premier American off-road
SUV.

The latest spat began when Jeep took a shot at Hummer with a recent TV ad
that claims Jeeps are better in the mud.

The commercial shows several kids in Jeep pedal cars slogging through an
obstacle course, while a yellow Hummer-like SUV, labeled "Imitator," gets
stuck in the muck. A boy in the Hummer look-a-like can only shake his head
when a girl says; "If it's not Trail-Rated, it's not a Jeep 4x4."

The ad recalls a Hummer spot, set to the song "Happy Jack" by rock group The
Who, in which a boy wins a soapbox derby with a Hummer-like car by
outsmarting his opponents and driving off-road.

Chrysler spokesman Jason Vines said the Jeep ad is "good-natured fun," and
it's common for competitors to knock other products in commercials.

He was more irritated with suggestions that Jeep has copied Hummer.

Earlier this month, Jeep took the wraps off a concept SUV, the large and
boxy Jeep Rescue, that bears a strong resemblance to the Hummer H2. Like the
H2, the Rescue has round headlights, a slotted grille and exposed hinges
around its four doors. Both vehicles also sit high for easy ground clearance
in rocky terrain.

"WHO'S ZOOMING WHO?"

"You know how this business is, you show something and it's copied," Hummer
General Manager Mike DiGiovanni, standing amid the Hummer exhibit at the
Detroit auto show, told Reuters. "My reference point is this auto show with
all the, as the media calls it, the Hummer wannabes."

"Who's zooming who here? Who's copying who?," Chrysler's Vines said, noting
that Jeep has been around for 60 years. "I personally don't think it's a
copy."

Indeed, the Rescue also shares similarities with its smaller cousin, the
Jeep Wrangler. Both the Jeep and the Hummer trace their roots to military
vehicles, where function dictates form, and to the same company. Jeep's
former owner American Motors created AM General in 1971 to build military
vehicles, and eventually the Humvee truck.

Looks aside, Chrysler group marketing chief Joe Eberhardt questioned the
ruggedness of the Hummer H2 in January when he said in an interview with
Automotive News that the SUV wouldn't be able to negotiate the Rubicon
Trail, an off-road route in California that is the traditional test of every
Jeep.

Hummer's DiGiovanni said he would send a letter and documentation to
Automotive News challenging Eberhardt's assertion.

This is quite a bit of bluster for two brands that don't directly compete
against each other yet. Prices for the Hummer H2 start at about $50,000, far
above any Jeep.

But that will change next year when Hummer launches the smaller H3, which
will be priced starting in the $30,000 range, competing directly with the
new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which will debut at the New York Auto Show in
April. Longer-term, Hummer officials are talking about adding an even
smaller, less expensive model, while the Rescue hints at a larger, H2-size
model in Jeep's future.

"Hummer is the relatively new kid on the block, making waves. The
head-to-head competition is going to get extremely severe in the next couple
of years," said Dennis Virag, president of The Automotive Consulting Group,
based in Ann Arbor, Michigan."

©2003 Reuters Limited.

--
'86 CJ-7
D30 D44 D300 4:1 T-5
SOA ARB 4.56 Mopar MPI
Fresno, CA USA
http://www.redneck4x4.com

Re: Reuters Article: Hummer Vs. Jeep in SUV Sweepstakes

"Jim Meyer" <jmeyer21@aol.com> wrote in message
news:HWBOb.94049$8H.138133@attbi_s03...
>
> Hummer Vs. Jeep in SUV Sweepstakes
> Sunday January 18, 1:19 PM EST

The H2 wins hands down over my Jeep. A typical H2 owner can hawl a LOT more
bags home from the mall and has WAY more cup-holders for Starbucks Latte's.
>

Re: Reuters Article: Hummer Vs. Jeep in SUV Sweepstakes

Anybody who drinks hot coffee on the move has never had to break hard and
spill it on their privates...
Wait a few more years and Jeeps will have "hand bag hooks" and "purse
pockets"... and vanity mirrors with half a megawatt lights round the edges
prolly !

Dave Milne, Scotland.

"Al B. Back" <zoidberg@futerama.com> wrote in message
news:3hGOb.80417$Rc4.290266@attbi_s54...
>
> "Jim Meyer" <jmeyer21@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:HWBOb.94049$8H.138133@attbi_s03...
> >
> > Hummer Vs. Jeep in SUV Sweepstakes
> > Sunday January 18, 1:19 PM EST
>
> The H2 wins hands down over my Jeep. A typical H2 owner can hawl a LOT
more
> bags home from the mall and has WAY more cup-holders for Starbucks
Latte's.
> >
>
>

Re: Reuters Article: Hummer Vs. Jeep in SUV Sweepstakes

Roughly 1/19/04 01:39, Dave Milne's monkeys randomly typed:

> Anybody who drinks hot coffee on the move has never had to break hard and
> spill it on their privates...

It can be done. Get one of those metal cups with the supertight
cover seal and a small drinking slot that can be closed and a vent
hole. Stick a long coffee [or mixed drink] straw in the vent hole
and slurp away. Biggest advantage to me is that you can then
slurp your coffee without taking your eyes off that freaking
idiot with the cell phone stuck up their *ss in the lane just
ahead of you. Said cups can be gotten by attending a Silicon
Valley high tech training course for those too cheap to pay
the ridiculous price at a jeep dealer.

> Wait a few more years and Jeeps will have "hand bag hooks" and "purse
> pockets"... and vanity mirrors with half a megawatt lights round the edges
> prolly !

Time to change brands when the heated seats come with that
japanese 'autoclean' toilet seat technology.

--
Now that Spirit Rover has confirmed the presence of weapons of
mass destruction on Mars, we are preparing to invade...

Re: Reuters Article: Hummer Vs. Jeep in SUV Sweepstakes