This homogeneity is clearly evident in a comparison of the photos of 19923 models with their counterparts of twenty-five to thirty years earlier. Compare the
1969 and 1993 Chevrolet Blazer fig. 72 and 73, the 1974 and 1993 Jeep Cherokee fig. 74 and 75, and the 1979 and 1993 Dodge Ramcharger fig. 76 and
77. If one were to superimpose these images, the amount of image overlap would be astounding in comparison to that which would be attained by superimposing
the images of the motorized road carriages of the late 1800s. I suggest that these differences between the performance of the nineteen
century designers and those in the post-WWII era may be accounted for by the concept of “prototype strength”—that there is strength in numbers, in the
similarity in shapes, and in the identifiability of averaged shapes Rosch 1978. If a putative category has only a few representatives that are widely divergent in
their shapes, as was the case for motorized road carriages at the end of the nineteenth century, it is unlikely that such a collection would easily yield a
prototype image upon which a basic-level category may be based. On the other hand, if a putative category has a large number of representatives and there is a
great similarity in their shapes, then it is highly likely that a prototype image will emerge and serve as the basis for a category. Simply stated, the latter
designers had a firmly entrenched prototype.
Fig. 72: 1969 Chevrolet Blazer— Ackerson 1913:67
Fig. 73: 1993 Chevrolet Blazer— Ackerson 1993:85
Fig. 74: 1974 Jeep Cherokee— Ackerson 1993:467
Fig. 75: 1993 Jeep Cherokee— Ackerson 1993:490
Fig. 76: 1979 Dodge Ramcharger— Ackerson 1993:141
Fig. 77: 1993 Dodge Ramcharger— Ackerson 1993:158
8.4 The Hummer—an anomaly that became an SUV
That the prototype for an SUV is firmly entrenched is evident in light of the introduction in 1991 of another anomaly, the Hummer 1 fig. 78. During the
Gulf War the capabilities of the military Humvee from HMMWV—High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle became widely recognized, and its manu-
facturer, AM General, decided to market it in 1992. AM General’s decision is directly analogous with that of Willys to market the CJ Jeep following World
War II. There is, however, a significant difference. Whereas the Willys Jeep found a ready market niche and had no competition, the Hummer H1 faced a
daunting array of SUV competitors. The introduction of the H1 was analogous with that of the CJ Jeep in another
way. Both were essentially military versions in civilian dress. The H1, however, in comparison with SUVs, was clearly the ugly duckling of vehicles. It was a
behemoth, and at nearly 7,000 lbs was far larger than the typical SUV and earned the nicknamed “The Giant.” During the next eleven years fewer than
10,000 were sold. In 1999 General Motors acquired the Hummer name, along with marketing and distribution rights. In 2002 the introduction of the Hummer
H2 fig. 79 was the first of two size reductions, with some body re-sculpturing, that culminated in the H3 in 2005 fig. 80.
The first adjustment resulted in building the H2 on an SUV chassis—that of the GM Chevrolet Tahoe. It weight was reduced to 6,400 lbs., and it was just
short of seventeen feet in length. Its body had softer edges, and it came with options such as a leather interior and a premium audio system. The second
adjustment with the H3 shortened it by another foot and a half and cut the weight by a ton. The H3 shares the GMT-355 platform with two “siblings”—the
mid-size Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups. It now conforms to the profile of a mid-size SUV—clear evidence that an SUV prototype image
motivated the changes. In this case, the prototype strength of the SUV subcategory mitigated the Hummer becoming the basis of a new subcategory of
super vehicles.
Fig. 78: 1991 Hummer 1 Fig. 79: 2002 Hummer H2—
http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiFile:Hummer_H2_.jpg
Accessed 06052009
