Jeep and Hummer will go to war in court over whether GM should change the grille on its new Hummer H2. Jeep says is too similar to its own vehicles.
Army-styled vehicles Jeep and Hummer will go to war in court next week over whether General Motors should change the grille on its new Hummer H2, which Jeep says is too similar to its own vehicles.
The Hummer grille features seven vertical slots, as do Chrysler’s Jeeps. DaimerChrysler wants it changed before it goes on sale in the United States later this year. “It’s kind of like Burger King putting their name on McDonald’s golden arches. That’s a trademark violation,” said Chrysler spokeswoman Ann Smith.
GM, who bought the rights to the Hummer name in 1999, told auto.com Chrysler did not complain in the past when the first Hummer went into production in 1992. GM maintains that Chrysler thus waived any claims it had on the grille.
“Chrysler had numerous opportunities over the last number of years to challenge that, and never did, until the day after the announcement of the sale of Hummer to GM,” said GM spokesman Alan Adler. “All that while, the seven-slot short grille was a part of the Hummer. The extension of the brand, from all appearances, that’s what led to this.”
Chrysler fears that the similarity in the grilles will lead to confusion for consumers. According to Chrysler, an independent survey found that many SUV owners could not tell the difference between the new Hummer H2 and the Jeep. GM has since engraved the Hummer name across the grille, but Chrysler is still not satisfied.
CARtoday.com has included a picture of a Hummer H2 (above) and Jeep Wrangler (below) for comparison. What do you think?
The Hummer is a civilian version of the army-styled Humvee vehicle made famous during the Gulf War in 1991.
The Hummer H2 is a smaller version of the Hummer H1 and less expensive. It will be priced at R550 000, half the price of its bigger brother. A Hummer H3 is planned and it is believed it will sell for about R330 000. The future H3 will be in more competition with Jeep as it is in a similar price range.
But the there is a connection between the two vehicles that led to a similar grille. Jeep and the company that began making Hummers, AM General had been one company before separating in the 1980s. AM General is still involved in the manufacturer of the Hummer, but GM owns the brand.
GM expects to sell 35 000 to 40 000 H2s a year. They currently sell about 1000 of the H1 model.