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The electric Hummer gets a new logo

GM submitted three trademark applications to government offices here and in Canada, as discovered by GM Authority. Two applications went to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office on February 4 this year, seeking to reserve the new Hummer logo, at the top in the image above. Note, the two logos aren't to scale; they're about the same size all things being equal, but we shrunk the old mark. GM sent a second application to the USPTO on February 7 requesting the brand name "Hummer" for application to "motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles, trucks and sport utility vehicles; bicycles." True, we've seen the new Hummer script stretched across the front of the coming electric pickup in a teaser clip, but the paperwork continues the process of getting the entire continent ready for the alternate universe resurrection of one of America's most notorious brands.     In 2010, gas prices were in orbit, GM committed to closing the Hummer brand, vandals were setting fire to the scattered Hummers left on dealer lots, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 made 638 horsepower, the eco-minded revered the Toyota Prius and the Tesla Model S was still two years away. In that year, it would have been hard to say something more bonkers than, "Hummer's coming back in ten years as an electric pickup, its top trim making 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 pound-feet of torque." But here we are. The new logo's squareness connects it to the resolute bluntness of the old mark, yet the thinner font and chopped corners both modernize the old logo and lessen its truculence. The brand appears headed the same way, with lurid specs and square-jawed looks just like old times, but having in LeBron James a more modern take on the hardcore male vibe than it once got from (unpaid) association with guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger. To be fair, old Hummer commercials always featured women in the driver's seat, or men and young boys dreaming of big adventures, or Regis Philbin chatting up models, but the marketing department couldn't — or didn't want to — outrun the lineup's reputation on the street. We'll see how the electric version and its “incredible on- and off-road capability" fare. According to the teaser site, the new Hummer's debut is still on track for May 20. If the brand manages to recreate the old H3T pickup but with an electric powertrain, it's got one buyer right here lined up already. Related Video:

Automakers tussle over owners of 'orphan' makes

When General Motors put down several of its brands in recent years, it also let loose thousands of brand-loyal customers who will eventually need another car.
R.L. Polk Associates estimates there are more than 18 million cars from 16 discontinued makes on the road today. Those "orphan owners" have sales-hungry competitors seeing dollar signs. GM is offering Saturn owners $1,000 cash toward a Chevy Cruze, Cadillac CTS or a GMC Acadia. Ford is giving its Mercury lease customers a chance to get out of their contracts with no early-termination penalty and offering to waive six remaining payments if they drive off in a Ford or Lincoln.
Edmunds.com research shows the efforts are paying off somewhat for GM, with 39 percent of Pontiac owners, 37 percent of Hummer owners and 31 percent of Saturn owners taking delivery of another GM-branded vehicle. But that leaves as much as 69 percent of owners going elsewhere. Ford, Honda and Toyota seem to be attracting many former GM owners.

How a New York cabby can get an MV-1 taxi for just $11k

AM General – the same company that's behind the Hummer – is making it easier for taxi drivers to buy one of its wheelchair accessible cabs in New York. Between the factory's own incentives and those offered by the city, the new MV-1 Empire Taxi can cost as little as $11,200. Unlike other vehicles that can be converted after production for handicapped mobility, the MV-1 is designed by AM General from the get-go as a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Mobility Ventures LLC – the AM General subsidiary responsible for the MV-1 – displayed a yellow cab version at the New York Auto Show in 2012, and is now bringing it to market as the MV-1 Empire Taxi. Pricing has been announced, and it is rather competitive, to say the least. Mobility Ventures charges $33,000 for one of its wheelchair-accessibly taxis. But the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission is offering a $14,000 grant toward the purchase of a wheelchair-accessible cab, bringing the purchase price down to $19,000. Of course, the Commission will offer the same incentives towards the purchase of any wheelchair-accessible vehicle, but converting an existing van for the purpose generally costs a good $10-20k. So while a Nissan NV200 Taxi of Tomorrow, for example, might start at under $30k, add in the cost of mobility conversion and you're looking at a lot more – a solid $10k more, according to Mobility Ventures. If the $19k purchase price isn't enough to get New York cabbies on board, the manufacturer and the commission are offering further incentives for some customers. For every wheelchair-bound passenger a driver picks up, the city will pay the cabby 50 cents – that may not sound like a lot, but it adds up over time. What's more, Mobility Ventures will match the incentive for the first 25 customers who buy an MV-1 Empire Taxi, which combined can come to as much as $7,800 in payments over the course of a year. Work that into the equation and the end cost of the new Empire Taxi could come out to just $11,200. Mobility Ventures is working with other cities to offer similar incentives, with negotiations currently under way in Washington with the DC Taxi Commission. Mobility Ventures Unveils New "MV-1 Empire Taxi" for NYC - More Legroom and Luggage Space Than any Other Taxi or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle - Innovative Program will Match TLC Payments to Drivers for Every Ride in a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle, Along with Special MV-1 Purchase Discounts NEW YORK, Jan.