Cash for Clunkers Shock Horror! HUMMER Bought With C4C Cash!

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

Not THIS HUMMER (that would be a bit of a stretch). But a HUMMER nonetheless. The Associated Press reports that “Data released late last week by the Department of Transportation shows that tens of thousands of trucks, minivans and SUVs with relatively low gas mileage were among the nearly 700,000 vehicles sold under the program in late July and August. It even included a handful of Hummers, a hulking vehicle not usually associated with fuel economy.” I guess the AP couldn’t say “including a big ass gas-guzzling military-themed HUMMER, the vehicle most reviled by people who thought (even for a second) that the $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program’s real goal was improving the fuel efficiency of America’s automotive fleet to help reverse the irreversible catastrophe of global warming.” Now, there’s a lot of parsing and wrangling and finger-pointing to be done here, as usual. But let’s not lose sight of the salient fact: A HUMMER! Why not? Lest we forget, “for buyers of SUVs, pickups and minivans, that difference [between the trade-in and the new vehicle’s mpgs] had to be only 2 mpg.”

In other news, the final sales numbers are out. The Chevy Silverado pipped the F-150 at the C4C post. The manly man’s pickup picked-up 16,330 sales, vs. 16,263 for the tuff enough [sic] F-150. What does that tell you? As the Silverado is a high profit vehicle for its nationalized manufacturer, the taxpayer-funded sales surge has certainly helped the taxpayer-funded automaker stay alive. How great is that? Oh, and HUMMER is still owned by GM, in case you (or GM’s management) forgot.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Rmwill Rmwill on Sep 22, 2009

    @WSN Consumers didn't drive GM into bankruptcy, management did.

  • PeteMoran PeteMoran on Sep 23, 2009
    How dare consumers buy products that they like! Yes, savage depreciation and wasted imported oil are victimless crimes.
  • Wsn Wsn on Sep 23, 2009
    rmwill : September 22nd, 2009 at 8:36 pm @WSN Consumers didn’t drive GM into bankruptcy, management did. --------------------------------- More accurately: Consumers did drive GM into bankruptcy (by not buying), the UAW/management were responsible for it (because they were paid).
  • Powerpeecee Powerpeecee on Sep 23, 2009
    Yes, savage depreciation and wasted imported oil are victimless crimes. Nicely put. Every single military personnel who are in Iraq right now are there because of oil. Let no one tell you otherwise. It's been about securing oil supplies so that the spoiled middle class and above will stay placated and happy from day one. Can anyone with an ounce of decency rationalise away the fact that there are Americans dying because of the thirst for oil and the ensuing oil war in the middle east? Consumer choice does not negate consumer responsibility. Take what you need, but no more.
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