2008 Hummer H2 Lux Version - on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Automakers tussle over owners of 'orphan' makes

When General Motors put down several of its brands in recent years, it also let loose thousands of brand-loyal customers who will eventually need another car.
R.L. Polk Associates estimates there are more than 18 million cars from 16 discontinued makes on the road today. Those "orphan owners" have sales-hungry competitors seeing dollar signs. GM is offering Saturn owners $1,000 cash toward a Chevy Cruze, Cadillac CTS or a GMC Acadia. Ford is giving its Mercury lease customers a chance to get out of their contracts with no early-termination penalty and offering to waive six remaining payments if they drive off in a Ford or Lincoln.
Edmunds.com research shows the efforts are paying off somewhat for GM, with 39 percent of Pontiac owners, 37 percent of Hummer owners and 31 percent of Saturn owners taking delivery of another GM-branded vehicle. But that leaves as much as 69 percent of owners going elsewhere. Ford, Honda and Toyota seem to be attracting many former GM owners.

Picture yourself rolling in Tupac Shakur's 1996 Hummer

UPDATE: Tupac Shakur's Hummer blew away estimates, selling for $337,114 according to the auction site. It's been nearly 20 years since the renowned rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down at the height of his fame. One of the last vehicles he ever purchased, this 1996 AM General Hummer in a four-door pickup configuration, is now being sold by RR Auctions. Since 1996, it hasn't covered much ground. The odometer reads just 10,101 miles. A bunch of upgrades, like driving lights, a sound system and external PA, and diamond-plate bumpers, are present and were allegedly added by Shakur. The Hummer has a 6.5-liter turbodiesel V8 and automatic transmission. According to the seller, after being owned by Shakur and then, after his death, his mother Afeni Shakur, the Hummer went through a variety of owners. This includes BET, which gave the car away during a raffle in 2003, the owners of Havenotz Entertainment, and the mother of the rapper Yaki "Prince" Kadafi who was a "godbrother" of Shakur. The included vanity plate reads "YAKNPAK", a nod to both Kadafi and Shakur. The vehicle is currently in Canada. Bidding opens on May 12th and ends on May 19th, and RR Auctions estimates it'll sell for more than $100,000. Related Video: News Source: RR Auctions Celebrities GM Hummer Auctions SUV Diesel Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles

GM, Pilot will build EVgo fast chargers at 500 truck stops across U.S.

All of our maps showing electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. are going to need an update. Today, General Motors, Pilot and EVgo announced plans to work together on a nationwide DC fast charging network. The plan calls for 2,000 charging stalls that can deliver up to 350 kW to be installed at up to 500 Pilot and Flying J travel centers in the U.S. The goal is to have DC fast chargers available in 50-mile intervals across the country. The new charging stations will feature GM's "Ultium Charge 360" branding and "Pilot Flying J" logos but will not be limited to drivers of GM EVs. The plugs will use CCS connectors and be available to anyone. GM EV owners can take advantage of benefits, including the ability to make exclusive reservations, get discounts on charging costs and streamline the charging process with Plug and Charge and in-vehicle apps that can provide real-time charger availability. The first installation phase will take place in 2023, and "the bulk of the installations" should be completed by 2025, EVgo CEO Kathy Zoi said during a conference call with reporters announcing the plan. "We're gonna get going immediately and commence all of that engineering and planning stuff," she said. "We've got a pretty orderly plan." Pilot CEO Shameek Konar said the company expects the new EV charging stations to coexist with the current fuel infrastructure. "An average Pilot Flying J location is about 10 acres," Konar said. "This will be in addition to all of our gas pumps. The way I think about it is, this is a new source of energy that is going to coexist with gas for quite some time. We can debate how long, but we need to serve both groups of customers." Installing DC fast chargers at hundreds of Pilot's travel centers — aka truck stops — means there should be food, drinks, restrooms, WiFi and even showers available while you wait for an EV to charge. Pilot recently announced its “New Horizons” plan that will invest $1 billion in upgrading Pilot travel centers with more premium amenities, including expanded seating and lounge areas. While the exact amount of time it will take to charge an EV using these new stations will vary on the EV and its current state of charge, most EVs can refill from a low state of charge to around 80 percent in 20-30 minutes on a fast charger. The new stations are future-proofed to deliver up to 350 kW, a charge rate that few EVs today can handle.