Hummer HX Concept

With its sight set on challenging Jeep's iconic Wrangler, General Motors' Hummer division debuted the HX Concept SUV at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. This off-road-ready compact SUV was the brainchild of Robert Jablonski, David Rojas, and Min Young Kang, a trio of recent college graduates hired by GM to design what the company called, "a fun, nimble, and innovative Hummer concept."

It would have been easy to take Hummer's existing H3 midsize SUV, cut down the wheelbase, lop off two doors, add a convertible top, and call it a day. Instead, HX Concept was designed from the ground up with multiple open-air configurations. A pair of removable panels are located above the driver and passenger seats along with a removable, modular rear roof assembly. With all panels removed, the HX looks like a convertible with giant, off-road tires. Other configurations include the "SUT," which makes the HX look like a pickup truck, as well as a sleek fastback design. In another nod to off-road enthusiasts, GM made the HX's doors and fender flares removable. Underneath the rugged facade is full-time four-wheel drive with locking front and rear differentials. Thirteen inches of ground clearance allow the HX to ford up to two feet of standing water.

Power gets to all four wheels via GM's "high feature" 3.6-liter V6 engine. It employs the high-pressure direct fuel injection system found in the Cadillac CTS and STS to produce 304 horsepower when teamed with the standard six-speed automatic transmission. The engine can also run on E85 ethanol.

As the HX Concept was just that, there wasn't any talk of pricing. It's likely, though, that many of the design elements could find their way into a production vehicle, which would probably be dubbed H4. This would then be Hummer's entry-level vehicle and be priced appropriately less than the H3.