Hummer no more as GM, China truck company deal fizzles

Say goodbye to the Hummer, the once proud military sport utility vehicle whose sales drastically decreased in recent years as gas prices and environmental concerns increased at a more rapid pace.

General Motors Co has announced it will wind down its Hummer SUV line after failing to complete a deal to sell the brand to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co.

GM had hoped to sell the poor-selling brand to Tengzhong, an industrial equipment maker based in Sichuan province, the the deal in negotiations for monthly, dissolved.

GM said it will continue to honor warranties and provide service support and spare parts to current Hummer owners.

Hummers were originally built by AM General Corporation, which was formerly AMC Jeep’s General Products division in its Mishawaka, Indiana assembly plant. They were created under a contract for the United States armed forces.

The first model, the Hum-Vee, was built in a variety of military-based equipment and versions. These included troop carriers, gun turrets and radar. The U.S. military, on receiving their quota, have adapted some of the vehicles.

In 1990, two matching white Hum-Vees were driven from London to Beijing over the rough roads of central Soviet Union. The Hummers made the trip with ease. The highlights of the trip were broadcast in the United States on ESPN. This publicity would pale in comparison to the attention that the Hum-Vee received for its service in Operation: Desert Storm the following year.

In 1992, AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Hum-Vee) vehicle to the public under the brand name “Hummer.” AM General sold the brand name to General Motors in 1998.

The Hummer in its three version became increasingly popular in early 2000 years. But sales plummeted drastically in recent years, particularly in 2008. After GM sold 55,986 H1, H2 and H3 models in 2007, only 27,485 (including 692 on the H3T model) were sold in 2008, a 50.9 drop in sales.