AM General to lay off 160 more workers
AM General says because of Hummer-sized dropoff in sales, it will cut 160 jobs at its Indiana plant by year end. Company officials say expensive gas and relatively large sticker prices are two obstacles even the lane-hogging Hummer H2 just can't overcome. H2 sales have also been cannibalized by the somewhat smaller and more fuel-efficient H3.
On an ironically positive note, U.S. government orders for military Humvees are outpacing the Indiana plant's production capability. AMG spokesman Craig Mac Nab says some of the newly unemployed workers might be moved to H1 production.
This isn't the first time H2 plant workers have been laid off. AMG let go 170 workers in January. The H2 plant also shut down for two weeks in October in an attempt to control overproduction. Is this the end of the lumbering, dinosaur-like H2? Or can it evolve into a more planet-friendly vehicle?
[Sources: CNN and The Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
davo 12:22PM (11/29/2006)
The dude below is just mad at how bad the repubs did this election. Thanks for saying it how it is, the H2 is a joke and based on the sales #'s I guess all the idiots already got them one.
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Bob-o 12:43PM (11/29/2006)
#1, please. Its a blog, not Reuters. Why don't YOU leave your political agenda at home? If your panties are in such a bunch, why don't you stop reading Autoblog and go pick up some Detroit News?
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Big Rocket 12:28PM (11/29/2006)
To #1 (Mike): Can we please attempt some semblance of intelligent reasoning here? How many Hummer owners, and SUV owners in general, even attempt anything remotely resembling rock climbing? Not unless you count speed bumps in a supermarket parking lot.
Whether we admit it or not, the jerks who feel a need to compensate for their deficiencies -- remember Hummer's ad, "Restore the balance"? -- drive up gas prices with their notorious gas guzzlers. It's simple supply and demand: more gas guzzlers = more demand = higher prices for everyone at the pump.
I, for one, would be happy to see Hummers pulled out of the civilian sector. Anyone who wishes to buy one would be better served by a psychiatrist to restore his/her balance.
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BCM 2:21PM (11/29/2006)
Is it common to abbreviate AM General as "AMG"? 'Cuz there's already a German auto tuning firm that uses those initials as its brand name.
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Afi K. James 12:54PM (11/29/2006)
Another reason why I Hate america these days, is because of you shitty treehuggers and bullshit gas guzzlers are ruining it.
Long Live Natural Gas.
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Big Rocket 1:30PM (11/29/2006)
#4 (Mike): "Perhaps a revised H2 could be the first HUMMER branded vehicle to adopt GM's jointly developed dual-mode hybrid powertrain?"
If or when a hybrid Hummer comes out with decent MPG, I'll believe it. Until then, that's Marketing bull.
#4 (Mike): "Facts vs. agenda. Spew your bullshit on Autoblog Green, leave Autoblog for the facts."
Let's see. Someone who refuses to believe in supply and demand, long considered a foundation of all market economies by textbooks on the subject. Someone who champions the sale of gas-guzzling military vehicles to civilians who have no use for their capabilities. Someone who wants to "restore the balance" for people suffering from inferiority complex. Now who's spewing pro-Hummer bull? Facts vs. agenda: Spew your bull on the O’Reilly Factor, leave Autoblog for the facts.
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Big Rocket 1:36PM (11/29/2006)
#6 (Afi K. James): "Another reason why I Hate america these days"
Canada is to the north, Mexico is to the south, Europe is to the east, and Asia is to the west. Take your pick, and no one will stop you. Because the United States of America is a free country, where people are free to express themselves regardless of their beliefs.
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D 4:08PM (11/29/2006)
I'm with Mike, keep it out. You are diminishing the quality of the site and postings, and it has been increasingly noticeable. This is how you lose dedicated readers and posters, and I've seen it happen so many times before. CAN IT!
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Mike 3:06PM (11/29/2006)
Rocket:
"Someone who refuses to believe in supply and demand, long considered a foundation of all market economies by textbooks on the subject."
I never said anything about the market. I never said anything about the declining H2 sales. I never criticized the decision to lay off or move employees.
"Someone who champions the sale of gas-guzzling military vehicles to civilians who have no use for their capabilities"
Where do I champion this? The civillian H1 has been canceled. The H2, you know, the subject of the poorly written article, was NEVER a military vehicle. You do realize the H1 was a deisel, right?
"Someone who wants to "restore the balance" for people suffering from inferiority complex."
Um, you must be retarded to get that from any of my words. I never mentioned anything other than the article was written with an obvious far-left wing bias.
"Now who's spewing pro-Hummer bull?"
I have no idea. Not me. I only said that the article was a piece of shit, and could have been written better by a three year old. It was full of bias and remarkably short on facts.
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Richard Warren 3:36PM (11/29/2006)
Who gives a shit, it's a Hummer.
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L337Biker 3:44PM (11/29/2006)
There's nothing military about an H2 or an H3, neither of which would perform(if it actually left a road), like the H1 on a trail. There really is nothing great about either of the models, sure they made some efficiency improvements with the H3, which I would almost recommend phasing out the H2 completely due to its fuel inefficiency, inconvenience, and overall persona of being a rugged off roading vehicle. That if taken off road, would probably using your OnStar feature to get you out of your mud hole.
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Afi K. James 9:11PM (11/29/2006)
8. #6 (Afi K. James): "Another reason why I Hate america these days"
Canada is to the north, Mexico is to the south, Europe is to the east, and Asia is to the west. Take your pick, and no one will stop you. Because the United States of America is a free country, where people are free to express themselves regardless of their beliefs.
Yea and especially your idiotic president is taking away our rights and freedom.
look at this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxCeWQ9Ge38
and see why.
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Whydrive 7:16PM (11/29/2006)
Society needs to start dictating what people can or cannot own. I would also recommend banning any house over 2500 square feet. Any house over 2500 square feet is totally unnecessary and a complete waste of electricity and gas.
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Big Rocket 6:28PM (11/29/2006)
Mike: "You do realize the H1 was a deisel, right?"
You do realize there are other diesel cars, right? And when the H1 guzzles diesel, it pushes up diesel prices for other drivers to bear. Just like when the H2 and H3 guzzle gas, they push up gas prices for others to bear.
Mike: "I never said anything about the market. I never said anything about the declining H2 sales. I never criticized the decision to lay off or move employees."
Mike: "Where do I champion this?"
Mike: "I have no idea. Not me."
Mike: "Um, you must be retarded to get that from any of my words."
Backtracking already? Would you have the rest of us believe that your criticism of Autoblog's planet-friendly agenda has nothing to do with your own political agenda? In spite of your numerous anti-Green remarks? Then you must be retarded.
#13 (D): "I'm with Mike, keep it out."
What a surprise. Political agenda has no place here, but only when said political agenda happens to conflict with your own.
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Big Rocket 10:59PM (11/29/2006)
#15 (Whydrive) - Big houses are not necessarily energy hogs, especially when equipped with Energy Star appliances. Just as big trucks and SUVs are not necessarily gas guzzlers, such as hybrid vehicles. But Hummers are notorious for some of the worst mileage around, and consumers have finally decided enough is enough, in the day and age of $2 to $3 for a gallon of gas. Society (and lawmakers) did not dictate; the supply and demand of gas did.
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Campisi 3:00AM (11/30/2006)
Why are the same people that are talking about supply and demand and other free market concepts advocating the removal of a modicum of free choice from said market? Enough people want and can afford an H2 to keep it in production. Therefore, it stays out on the open market. That's how capitalism works.
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Big Rocket 12:41PM (11/30/2006)
#18 (Campisi): "Enough people want and can afford an H2 to keep it in production. Therefore, it stays out on the open market. That's how capitalism works."
In reality, not enough people want or can afford an H2, which explains why the title of the post was, "AM General to lay off 160 more workers".
#18 (Campisi): "Why are the same people that are talking about supply and demand and other free market concepts advocating the removal of a modicum of free choice from said market?"
When people look at the price of gas, and decide that a Hummer is the wrong car for the wrong age, that's free choice. That's how capitalism works. Just as the removal of the Hummer H1 (from the civilian market) was not a curtailing of free choice. It was a direct result of free choice.
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