Holden to sell Hummer H3

The General Motors-made vehicle is considered one of the largest and least fuel efficient SUVs in the world and comes at a time when vehicle sales in that segment have dropped 23.1 per cent in the year to date.

But that's irrelevant to the appeal of a Hummer, which Holden says needs no explanation.

"There's nothing like it anywhere in the world," a spokesman said after the announcement at the Australian International Motor Show. "What it represents needs no explanation."

The Hummer was originally a military and government vehicle called a Hum-Vee - an acronym for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.

GM changed the branding to Hummer once it took over marketing and distribution from the military division of American Motors.

The Hum-Vee saw significant action in the Gulf War and was catapulted to pop culture glory after featuring in movies such as Three Kings.

Holden plans to sell the H3 Hummer, which is the smallest model on the market.

"The H3 perfectly matches Australian conditions because of its size, and it has what Australians expect to see in terms of capabilities," a Holden spokesman said.

The H3 Hummer is considered to have serious off-road capabilities and will compete against the Toyota Prado, Nissan Patrol, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Pricing would be announced closer to its mid-2007 availability.

Holden claimed the Hummer had a shorter turning circle than the Ford Territory and also a shorter wheel base.

Few Australians have seen a Hummer in the metal, with boutique importers bringing in low volumes of H2 Hummers and converting them to right hand drive.

The H3 will continue to be made at GMs Port Elizabeth factory in South Africa, and will be the first factory-made right-hand drive Hummer available.

Initially, the H3 would be available in Australia with a 3.7-litre inline five-cylinder petrol engine, producing peak power of 180kW at 5600rpm and peak torque of 328Nm at 4600rpm.

A diesel version could also be offered at a later date.

Private sales of SUV diesels grew 1.6 per cent in 2006 compared with a 12.1 per cent drop in petrol sales.

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