Spoils of war are animating US car-makers

As US troops prepare for what looks increasingly like another war in the Persian Gulf, car firms are vying to provide the next iconic vehicle to carry troops into battle and gain untold media publicity. In the last Iraqi war, the four-ton Humvee came to symbolise US might in the eyes of American motorists. The result was a road-going variant, the Hummer, a slow domineering beast offering 10 mpg on a good day.

Now, in timely fashion, GM has revealed a diesel hybrid military pick-up with a fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) which could become the model for the US army's new fleet of 30,000 light tactical vehicles by the end of the decade. GM claims the diesel hybrid improves army fuel consumption by 20 per cent over conventional diesels, reduces emissions and provides troops with clean, reliable electrical power.

Unveiling the heavy-duty, militarised version of the commercial Chevrolet Silverado, Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development and planning, said: "We anticipate that it will accelerate cost-effective and durable civilian applications of hybrid-electric vehicles and fuel cells. As an early customer, the military will help drive down costs, increase our earnings, and spur the eventual development of a hydrogen-based economy."

The US army will evaluate the prototype before establishing performance and procurement criteria and opening the bid process.

According to Dennis J Wend of the US army's collaborative vehicle research and development centre: "The army owns a lot of trucks - nearly 250,000 - which makes it one of the largest fleets in the nation."