Autoblog

Report: GM to idle Hummer production on Monday until China deal goes through

Chris Shunk — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Truck, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Hummer

2009 Hummer H3T Alpha - Click above for high-res image gallery

Lost in the hoopla surrounding General Motors' attempted sale/wind-down of Saab and Ford's situation with Volvo and Geely has been any word surrounding the sale of Hummer to China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery. Whatever the state of the Hummer transaction, it appears The General is done waiting. The Detroit News reports that GM plans to halt Hummer production at its Shreveport, LA assembly plant on Monday until a sale of the brand is complete. The factory builds the H3 and H3T (models that account for about 25-percent of the plant's overall production) and the General says it's premature to speculate how much the facility's 1,120 workers will be affected.

Hummer dealers currently have a stockpile of about 2,100 H3 variants on lots - enough of a supply to last seven months at the model's current take rate. Hummer spokesman Nick Richards told the DetNews that H3 production will ramp back up after the sale "once marketing kicks back in and there is new interest and enthusiasm." Of course, if the Hummer sale ends anything like GM's Saab and Saturn debacles, that date could be never.

Gallery: Review: 2009 HUMMER H3T Alpha

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: GM to idle Hummer production on Monday until China deal goes through originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hedging its bets - HUMMER dealer anticipates doom, pre-emptively downsizes

Dan Roth — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Truck, Etc., GM, Hummer

There's no official obituary for GM's HUMMER brand yet, but haters are lacing up their dancing shoes while lovers wring their hands. Dealers with HUMMER franchises have a lot of skin in the game, so the uncertain future is bound to give business officers ulcers. Not willing to wait around to the bitter end, Milwaukee's Bergstrom HUMMER is planning to move into the same space as the group's Chevrolet store. The HUMMER-specific Quonset hut style dealership building will be toned down and pressed into service as an outlet for Certified used GM vehicles. Other HUMMER dealers across the nation are staring down the same conundrum, being on the hook for that big, rugged showroom, test track, inventory, and staff, while the parent company looks to clamp off bleeders. Some might follow Bergstrom's lead and shove the big trucks into a corner of a showroom dominated by a more stable brand, while others are shipping inventory as fast as they can.

Moving product is a tremendous challenge when the bobbleheads on the nightly news continue shrilly about the price of fuel and you've got a lot full of low-mpg, high weight trucks that happen to be a favorite target of vandals euphemistically masquerading as "activists." Customers that do make it through the door are looking for deals, and HUMMER will spot you five thousand bucks to take an H3, PLEASE. Existing customers are looking to get out of their vehicles any way possible, even if it means a financial hit. The mass exodus isn't solely due to hysteria, when it costs over $100 to fill the fuel tank, it chafes to watch the fuel gauge's precipitously quick drop toward "E." Retail issues aside, HUMMER still offers capable vehicles with a high level of style. If you've got a boat to pull, and want to look like the Governator, an H2 could still be just the thing, and now you'll be able to find one for a song; most likely the blues.

Gallery: 2009 HUMMER H3T

[Source: Inside Line]

Hedging its bets - HUMMER dealer anticipates doom, pre-emptively downsizes originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HUMMER-crazy couple to marry in monster SUV-themed wedding

Siddharth Raja — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:35:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Hummer

When does loving an automotive brand go too far? A possible answer could be when two people decide to get married and have almost every facet of their memorable day related some how to their favorite brand, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. That's exactly what will happen when diehard Hummer fans Sonya Jefferson and Steve Spencer tie the knot in an official HUMMER wedding scheduled to take place on the 22nd of this month in Reno.

No minister will be presiding over this wedding. Instead, Team Hummer driver Rod Hall will act as the celebrant with the happy couple reciting vows while standing in the beds of HUMMER trucks. Hall will be wearing his full race-suit and guests will later enjoy a custom 3D-shaped HUMMER wedding cake before the newly married couple hop into their HUMMER H2 to go off-roading in their wedding attire with 100 other Hummer owners.

Residing in Vancouver, Washington, Jefferson and Spencer both own HUMMER vehicles, as do several members of their family, including the maid of honor and mother of the bride. Whatever happened to the sanctity of marriage? Sigh.

[Source: GM]

Continue reading HUMMER-crazy couple to marry in monster SUV-themed wedding

HUMMER-crazy couple to marry in monster SUV-themed wedding originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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