Hummer is entering the midsize pickup market with the H3T pickup, which General Motors Corp. plans to introduce next week at the Chicago Auto Show.
Based on the architecture of the Hummer H3, the smaller of the brand's two sport utility vehicles, H3T is bigger than a midsize pickup, like the Toyota Tacoma, but smaller than a full-size pickups such as the Ford F-150.
It has a five-passenger crew cab and a separate five-foot-long bed. Hummer also makes a larger truck, the H2 SUT, with a six-foot bed.
Hummer says the H3T retains the brand's signature design and off-road capabilities, with standard four wheel drive, 32-inch tires and optional 33-inch tires and front and rear wheel-locking differentials for increased traction. There is a standard 3.7-liter, five-cylinder engine with 242 horsepower and an optional 5.7-liter V-8 with 300 horsepower than can tow up to 5,900 pounds.
The H3T is scheduled to arrive in dealerships this fall. GM said production will begin in the third quarter at the company's Shreveport, La., assembly plant. No price was given, but the 2008 H3 starts at $30,595.
The new pickup could help revive Hummer's sales, which sank 22 percent last year as consumers fretted about the economy and high gas prices.
The Chicago show opens to the public Feb. 8 after two days of media previews.
