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Changfeng, AM General bidding on Hummer
Rejoice GM, somebody wants HUMMER! In fact, AM General, the company that created the original mil-spec HMMWV for American troops back in 1983 is rumored to be in the mix of bidders, joining forces with China's Hunan Changfeng Motor Co. Despite earlier reports, Changfeng has remained interested in the brand since GM first put HUMMER up on the auction block, but had desired a bidding partner. It appears that it found one shortly after touring the automaker's facilities a few months back.
This is an intriguing move, especially since it was AM General that first launched the HUMMER marque in America before selling marketing rights for the brand to General Motors in 1999. Despite the presence of a Chinese partner, rumors indicate that HUMMER would remain an American brand that's marketed predominately towards the United States. It's an interesting footnote, though possibly completely unrelated, that news of HUMMER's impending sale rise and fall in unison with global fuel prices. In any case, this announcement seems to reaffirm GM's stated goal of selling the off-road brand by 2009.
[Source: Gasgoo via Hummer Guy]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Torrent 2:45PM (12/15/2008)
aww crap.
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supergaffo 3:55PM (12/16/2008)
Hey Brad I saw your picture there also. It was the one with you and the goat. Very sexy dude!
karmakid 2:45PM (12/15/2008)
i see hummers the size of minis sold in china soon... mwahahahaha
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jamie 4:20PM (12/15/2008)
A neighbor of mine already has one. Actually it's a classic "VW Thing", but boldly across the backside is printed BUMMER. I always that it was just a spelling mistake. Maybe not.
HotRodzNKustoms 2:47PM (12/15/2008)
I would love to see AM General's version of a second generation Hummer line up.
The H2 was the right car at the right time but since its introduction the soccer moms have abandoned gas guzzling SUVs I think the next generation of trucks need to be aimed more squarely at niche buyers since it is no longer a major mass market player.
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4x4North 2:52PM (12/15/2008)
The H2 is AM Generals version of a second-gen HUMMER... AM General was part of the design/engineering along with GM on the H2.
Yar 6:54PM (12/15/2008)
Yea, AM General designed and built the H2 (and still does). The H3 is all GM, even though I think I remember AM General being there in the design process.
Nghtcrawler1 2:51PM (12/15/2008)
If AM General had Hummer, what would they do with it? They don't have a dealer network to sell it from.
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Beat-it-nerd 3:22PM (12/15/2008)
What dude????? They have the existing dealer network. If Ford sells Mazda or Volvo, do they have a dealer network? Of course.
Nightcrawler 5:51PM (12/15/2008)
My "duh!" I was thinking AM General didn't have the dealer network, but as you say the Hummer dealerships are independent of the rest of GM and would naturally go with the sale.
Please disregard my stupidity on that one.
Chase 2:53PM (12/15/2008)
The H2 is an abomination and pretty much ruined the brand (even though it was so profitable).
If hummers were the bad-ass go-anywhere vehicles they started out being, they would sell well as a niche. -- Kind of "Jeep+"
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4x4North 2:59PM (12/15/2008)
BUT.... THEY ARE, Chase!
Just because YOU have no idea what they're capable of, just because YOU can't afford one, just because YOU don't have the balls to do some extreme wheeling, doesn't mean that they aren't incredible offroad trucks.
I know your a lonely internet troll, so your best bet would be go around on some HUMMER forums and look at all the marvelous things people are doing in their HUMMER's, it's a fun time!
I swear, I think "HUMMER hatred" is becoming a mental disorder.
RJ 3:38PM (12/15/2008)
No one hates the actual "H2" vehicle; it's the attitude that 99% of H2 owners have that pisses people off.
Yes, on a wide trail, or excursion type of offroad driving, H2 can be capable. But do you really think putting 26" Dubs will make them gain articulation? What about "slamming" them, does that help with approach/departure at all?
The other argument that can be made is that there're other vehicles that are much more suitable for offroad. A Rubicon can navigate much tighter trails than any H2, and a Powerwagon is built much tougher, with proper solid axles and higher articulation while at the same time more practical for long distance excursions.
For high speed desert stuff, you have the recently introduced Raptor, or the Kore/Carli/Lorenz suspension kits for trucks, that will wipe the H2 in high speed suspension travel and damping control, for less money.
Chase 3:40PM (12/15/2008)
Judging by the number of capital letters in your reply, I'd fathom you're slightly more obnoxious and zealous than I am.
I'm a big fan of the original humvee, but the new ones are basically normal GM SUVs with lots of chrome. Considering when it comes to bling-mobiles, the H2 and Cadillac Escillade would be uttered in the same sentence, it completely validates my point.
The Other Bob 4:36PM (12/15/2008)
"I swear, I think "HUMMER hatred" is becoming a mental disorder."
More like mass hysteria.
Geekengineer 3:48PM (12/15/2008)
Wow. 4X4North, I know it's just a tie rod, but this is just hilarious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSMTRxIknpw
Plus, your x-treme bashing of Chase was uncalled for. In fact, his points were quite valid.
Of course, I could make reference to the need for some guys to drive big-ass SUVs because of inadequacies in their, ahem, lives, but I won't...
4x4North 4:13PM (12/15/2008)
RJ: You might be hanging out with the wrong crowd, because the HUMMER owners I hang out with are really nice people that love the outdoors and helping out. Just a few days ago there was a really large HUMMER gathering where the owners delivered toys to kids, amazing how little media it gets, huh?
The H2 fits fine on trails, considering most Jeepers have modded their rigs to a degree where it's almost as wide as an H2, I think that whole arguement is moot.
Your attempt to compare the morons who pimp their trucks up with 26" rims and lowering them, to the ones who actually wheel their trucks makes me wonder, are you heading for the political field? So far you're just trying to muddy the waters, and it's not working.
You really can't compare the H2 and Rubicon, both very different trucks, both very capable rigs. The Power wagon is a joke, its approach and departure angles alone make it pointless offroad, just like the Raptor, it has your typical pickup angles. Sad.
4x4North 4:20PM (12/15/2008)
Chase: Just stop, you're not even capable of returning a remark that even remotely proves that you the slightest knowledge offroad.
Now go finish your homework.
Geekengineer: Old video, used by people with no idea of how suspensions work. Tie-rods go, even more so in the hands of a novice offroad driver. Tie-rods bust on all offroad rigs, nothing special.
Bill 4:37PM (12/15/2008)
Clearly this is a heated debate, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the H2 essentially a Tahoe with a different body???
Doesn't seem particularly suited to offroading to me. Hell, I can think of a number of cars I would rather offroad in then an H2:
Mercedes G-wagen
Jeep Wrangler
Land Rover Defender
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota Landcruiser/ Lexus LX570
Land Rover LR3 / Range Rover Sport
Land Rover Range Rover
I'd be willing to bet all of those would be better in a real off-road situation then an H2. The H1 was (is) an engineering marvel, but the H2 seems like nothing more than a prettied (uglied) up tahoe.
4x4North 4:37PM (12/15/2008)
RJ: One more thing, since you've got wood for the Raptor and seem to believe it's such a great truck... lets see the final times at the Baja 1000 for both the H2 Stock Full and H3 Alpha Stock Full compared to the Raptor (which required heavy front and rear end modifications to improve angles... sad)
HUMMER H3 Alpha: Finished 1st place Stock Full after 19 hours and 22 mins
HUMMER H2: Finished 3rd place Stock Full after 24 hours and 50 mins
Ford Raptor: Finished 3rd in Class 8... after 25 hours and 28 mins...
Wow, I thought you said it'll "wipe" the H2? Even modded, it can't beat the H2 or H3. Isn't that something?