babble home
rabble.ca - news for the rest of us
today's active topics


Post New Topic  Post A Reply
FAQ | Forum Home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» babble   » walking the talk   » labour and consumption   » Need a new reason to hate Detroit?

Email this thread to someone!    
Author Topic: Need a new reason to hate Detroit?
Hephaestion
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4795

posted 18 June 2005 08:38 PM      Profile for Hephaestion   Author's Homepage        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Love of SUVs leads to gargantuan Hummer limo with seating for 20

quote:
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - In a society where bigger is better, the latest limousine is in a category all its own. The gargantuan Hummer H2 is more than nine metres long and can seat about 20 people, dwarfing classic limo models.

The massive machines are all the rage, from the Viper Room nightclub in Los Angeles to the Salt Water Grille in South Portland.

"They are the 'it' vehicle for the younger crowds," said Sara McLean, publisher of Limousine & Chauffeured Transportation magazine. "We like to refer to the under 30s because that group responds best to trendy, high profile and pomp."

The move toward stretch SUV limos began about six years ago with Ford Excursions, Cadillac Escalades and Lincoln Navigators. The Hummer H2 raised the bar for bling when it rolled onto showroom floors a couple of years ago.

Sales peaked last year and SUV limos remain as popular as ever, McLean said.

In Maine, Lilley's Limousine was first to buy one of the Hummers, which cost $115,000 US - nearly twice that of a sedan-based limo.

Lilley's Hummer is 9.75 metres long - double a regular Hummer's length - and it's wide enough to have a centre aisle with seating on either side. The result: It can seat up to 20 people. Other versions of the Hummer limo can seat even more.

"It's a beast. It's definitely a beast," said Dan DeCosta, one of the Lilley's owners. Gas mileage also is beastly: 29 litres per 100 kilometres.



From: goodbye... :-( | Registered: Dec 2003  |  IP: Logged
obscurantist
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8238

posted 21 June 2005 01:46 AM      Profile for obscurantist     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
When I become king, we will nationalize such vehicles and turn them into part of the public transit system. Perhaps we could use it as a way of getting more kids to take the bus to school. 'Course, then we'd ALL have to pay for the lousy gas mileage.
From: an unweeded garden | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
TheDA
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9645

posted 21 June 2005 02:18 AM      Profile for TheDA        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Sounds like a good idea!
From: BC/AB | Registered: Jun 2005  |  IP: Logged
Coyote
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4881

posted 21 June 2005 02:33 AM      Profile for Coyote   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
We'll take the gas engines out, fit them to run on tracks, and use them for short-line public transit, Your Majesty . . . an' it please You.
From: O’ for a good life, we just might have to weaken. | Registered: Jan 2004  |  IP: Logged
obscurantist
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8238

posted 21 June 2005 05:00 PM      Profile for obscurantist     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Ah, Trolley Hummers. I think you may be onto something there - big ugly macho vehicles drawing power from overhead electrical wires.
From: an unweeded garden | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Mr. Magoo
guilty-pleasure
Babbler # 3469

posted 21 June 2005 07:20 PM      Profile for Mr. Magoo   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I think I might have seen one or two of these "buses" in Toronto. Really though, I'm just posting in this thread to fulfil a wish. This one's for you, obscurantist!
From: ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø, | Registered: Dec 2002  |  IP: Logged
obscurantist
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8238

posted 21 June 2005 07:27 PM      Profile for obscurantist     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thanks, Mr. Magoo ... oh, crud, I've done it again, haven't I?
From: an unweeded garden | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Nikita
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9050

posted 21 June 2005 08:38 PM      Profile for Nikita     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Big, loud, sucking up gas and spewing out filth...what's not to love?
From: Regina | Registered: Apr 2005  |  IP: Logged
TheDA
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9645

posted 22 June 2005 05:40 PM      Profile for TheDA        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I would like to have one and put a PTO shaft out the back and cut hay in style.
From: BC/AB | Registered: Jun 2005  |  IP: Logged
Gir Draxon
leftist-rightie and rightist-leftie
Babbler # 3804

posted 22 June 2005 06:00 PM      Profile for Gir Draxon     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by obscurantist:
When I become king, we will nationalize such vehicles and turn them into part of the public transit system. Perhaps we could use it as a way of getting more kids to take the bus to school. 'Course, then we'd ALL have to pay for the lousy gas mileage.

Actually, the mileage would probably be not that bad if they consistently drove 15-20 people around. I am assuming that even the H2 doesn't use FIVE TIMES as much gas as a regular vehicle.

So yes, I do support using vehicles like that for transit. We have some ~20-passenger busses in Edmonton for some minor bus routes (it allows some routes to go through parking lots right up to the door of stores/commercial centres. Awesome for those with reduced mobility.)


From: Arkham Asylum | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged
obscurantist
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8238

posted 22 June 2005 08:38 PM      Profile for obscurantist     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Good point Gir. After all, a regular diesel bus is a huge box of a vehicle belching out highly toxic fumes, with the significant upside that it has the potential to take the place of 60 smaller vehicles. And minibuses are a good way to serve routes that are a bit less central.
From: an unweeded garden | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged

All times are Pacific Time  

Post New Topic  Post A Reply Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic next oldest topic   next newest topic
Hop To:

Contact Us | rabble.ca | Policy Statement

Copyright 2001-2008 rabble.ca