Hummer H3 here by July, priced from $52,000

GM HOLDEN officially slammed down its Hummer order book at the Brisbane International Motor Show on Friday, when a $52,000 to $60,000 price range, full specifications and retail network details were announced for the H3 "baby Hummer", first deliveries of which are due in July.

Launched in lavish style separately from sister brands Holden and Saab, the Hummer range will open with the base H3 five-speed manual ($51,990) and close with flagship auto-only H3 Luxury, priced at $59,990.

All H3s will come standard with StabiliTrak stability and traction control, twin front and side curtain airbags and ABS, plus air-conditioning, cruise control, power windows, a single-CD player, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with compass, remote entry, foglights and 7.5x16-inch alloys.

Luxury variants add a "leather-appointed" interior, heated/power-adjustable front seats, a sunroof, six-CD dash stacker with Monsoon sound system and chromed roof-rails, mirror caps and door handles.

The mid-range H3 Adventure manual costs $57,990 (plus $2000 for the 4L60E four-speed auto version, as with the base H3) adds an electronic rear differential lock, off-road suspension and a shorter low range ratio of 4.03:1 (but no sunroof). Metallic paint is a $1200 option across the line-up.

The H3 employs a two-speed full-time four-wheel drive system, torsion bar front/leaf rear suspension systems and power-assisted steering to return an 11.3-metre turning circle, 216mm of ground clearance, 60 per cent grade capability, 40 per cent side slope capability and a 610mm fording depth.

Though priced closer to Toyota's large LandCruiser off-road king than equally serious medium SUVs like the same brand's Prado, Nissan's Pathfinder and Mitsubishi's Pajero, GM Holden claims H3's size, weight and fuel consumption are "comparable" with other mid-sized SUVs.

Powered by a 180kW/328Nm 3.7-litre inline five-cylinder petrol engine and with kerb weights ranging from 2198kg (H3 manual) to 2303kg (H3 Adventure auto), the South African-built H3 manual's official combined ADR81/01 fuel consumption figure on regular ULP is 13.7L/100km (14.5L/100km auto). CO2 emissions figures are 327g/km for the manual and 348g/km for the auto.

"The mid-size H3 is an ideal vehicle to launch the brand into Australia," said GM Holden chairman and managing director Denny Mooney in Brisbane .

"Comparable in size to other mid-size SUVs, H3 is still true to the brand's extreme heritage, but is more economical and easier to drive in the city than the original H1 and H2," he said.

Which is a good thing, given the H1 was a military vehicle.

Mr Mooney also announced the formation of GM Premium Channel to manage both Hummer Australia and Saab Australia (and next year maybe Cadillac Australia too) under the direction of Parveen Batish, who became Saab Oz and NZ boss last June and will continue to report to executive director GM sales, marketing and aftersales Alan Batey.

GM Holden has appointed 20 dealerships - comprising existing Holden, Saab and combined retailers – in Sydney (Rose Bay, Parramatta and Artarmon), Melbourne (Doncaster and Mentone), Brisbane (Fortitude Valley and Mount Gravatt), Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Hobart and Darwin, as well as Geelong, Albury, Newcastle, Mackay, Bundaberg, Townsville and the Gold Coast.

2007 Hummer H3 pricing:

H3 - $51,990
H3 (a) - $53,990
H3 Adventure - $57,990
H3 Adventure (a) - $59,990
H3 Luxury (a) - $59,990