2007 Hummer H3. Low Miles on 2040-cars

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Luxury carmakers make way more than just cars

Whether it's as simple as Ferrari offering model cars or as opulent as Bugatti with an $84,000-belt buckle, practically every automaker does more than just sell cars to keep their brands visible. The profits from these ventures might not be enough to keep the lights on, but in such a competitive industry, any extra cash is welcome. For the automakers that get licensing just right, there is a ton of profit to be made. According to a recent story examining the practice by The New York Times, Ferrari makes around $2.6 billion from merchandising each year, and General Motors tops that at $3.5 billion. Beyond just a profit center, merchandising can also protect an automaker's name. Take Hummer for example. The GM division shut down years ago, but it has continued to produce licensed cologne on sale around the world. "Because we still have the active fragrance, we're protecting the brand if we ever decide to bring it back," Gene Reamer, a GM licensing senior manager, told the Times. The whole piece is a fascinating look into this often ignored, but quite lucrative facet of the auto business. Read it for yourself, here. Related Video: News Source: The New York TimesImage Credit: Luca Bruno / AP Photo Design/Style Earnings/Financials Marketing/Advertising Read This Ferrari GM Hummer branding

2022 GMC Hummer Edition 1 weighs 9,063 pounds

From the beginning, the Hummer line of vehicles has been synonymous with the phrase, "absolute unit." The M998 Humvee turned to civilian use as the Hummer H1 came with a curb weight of 7,560 pounds depending on configuration. The much more urbane Hummer H2 didn't sacrifice much of those gains, putting about 6,615 on the scales. Let us not forget that the behemoth gravitational pull and square-jawed mass were what every Hummer buyer wanted. So, starting with the brand values and customer demand, and adding the fact that electric vehicles are substantially heavier than their ICE counterparts, no one should be surprised that the 2022 GMC Hummer Edition 1 weighs 9,063 pounds. That's just one of the substantial figures GMC included in a self-certification filing submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the document rooted out by Car and Driver. Last year GMC told us the Hummer would weigh 9,046 pounds, which proves again the Freshman 15 (or 16) is unavoidable.  Loaded up with humans and their accessories, the truck's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) comes in at 10,550 pounds. It takes a few other big numbers to keep that kind of tonnage on the go. The Ultium battery weighs 2,923 pounds. With a 617-amp-hour capacity at 400 volts, total capacity comes in at 246.8 kWh, specific energy at 158 Wh/kg. Usable capacity is about 85% less, at 212.7 kWh. For the time being, these numbers put every other pack in a production vehicle in the shade. That gargantuan chemical plant in the Hummer's floor powers a 329-mile range the same way a giant fuel tanks feed a truck that gets 8 miles to the gallon. The miles per gallon equivalent figures GMC submitted to the EPA are 51 MPGe city, 43 MPGe highway, 47 MPGe combined. Motor Trend questioned whether GM applied the correction factor used for window sticker numbers; if not, the standard 0.7 correction drops the MPGe specs to 36 city, 30 highway, and 33 combined. However, trucks with a GVWR beyond 8,500 pounds don't need to display fuel economy figures on their window stickers, so don't expect to see any such details on dealer lots. For comparison, the Rivian R1T Launch Edition weighs about 7,000 pounds, and fits a 128.9 kWh battery good for an estimated 314 miles estimated at 70 MPGe.

Super Bowl car commercials: Follow along as we riff on them live

Join Autoblog editors Sunday starting around 6:30 p.m. ET as we react to all of the car commercials during the game. We know Hummer, Porsche, Hyundai and others will have splashy ads, and naturally, there's usually a few surprises. Whether you're a Chiefs or 49ers fan — or don't care about football — the commercials are always a highlight. And for us, the car spots are the most intriguing. Weigh in with your own thoughts in the comments section. Let's kick off.   FIRST QUARTER Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore liveblogs the first quarter. F9 We'll count this as a car commercial. The latest edition of the Fast & Furious looks like it well, will have cars. We'll punt on further comment. PORSCHE I like it. Creative. Sort of a Night at the Museum feel. The guards stage a theft and then a car chase. The Taycan looked good. Get fired up — the future for Porsche is electric. The spot is meant to illustrate how fun that can be. I don't need any convincing.    SECOND QUARTER Associate Editor Byron Hurd is liveblogging the second quarter.  HYUNDAI Hyundai checked in super early with their Sonata "Smaht Pahk" commercial, which manages to score points for being both cute and clever while also being a fairly good commercial in a vacuum. We saw it last week, so there were no surprises here, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.  Fun note: If you go to the Sonata landing page on Hyundai's web site, you can choose "plain old English" or "the Boston way" for your language; the latter will translate the page. Enjoy.  FORD Hi ho, West Coast Editor James Riswick here. Apparently, the guys in Detroit didn't get the Mustang Mach E ad featuring Idris Elba and a whole boat load of awesome old Mustangs. Pretty sure it's bound to be viewed the exact same way as the car itself: traditionalists will be aghast, while non-car people will be intrigued by a new, all-electric, crossover version of one of the few cars they've heard of.  GENESIS They're coming more rapidly now. Genesis gets some love thanks to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend; this was another known quantity, but Hyundai's luxury brand managed another solid entry here thanks to its choice of stars. Teigen and Legend got the chance to throw back to the latter's "Sexiest Man Alive" honors, which Teigen often teases him for. Another solid all-around spot.  GMC/HUMMER Are there just no surprises left? Don't tell me; I know the answer. LeBron James fronts the revived Hummer, which will be an EV sold as a GMC.