Following a report from Jalopnik, Autonews reports that GM is trying to unload Hummer-fast. Autonews quotes GM COO Fritz Henderson, during a visit to India, that he hopes for a sale by the end of this year, or early 2009. Claiming that there are several companies interested in Hummer, Henderson declined to mention any by name.
This news should hardly come as a surprise. Hummer’s downward spiral in sales has been well documented, and rumors have been flying that GM hoped to unload the brand. I concur with Jalopnik here; why the news broke from India is not quite clear.
I am no Hummer expert, but some research on Wikipedia shows some interesting facts-Hummer has 300 dealers, but just 174 in the US. Hummers are also produced in South Africa and Russia. My guess is that Hummer will likely be sold, but I am very skeptical that the buyer will be an American company. I would not hold it past GM to halt production altogether while it waits for a better offer if one does not come sooner than later.
Though few will disagree that Hummer ownership was, and is, the equivalent of sticking your middle finger to Mother Earth, even the most brazen product planner in the division had to wonder just how far the brand could be taken. The H1, a thinly disguised military HUMVEE for public consumption established AM General, and GM bought the rights to market and sell it as a Hummer. A toy for the wealthy, GM brought the brutish appeal of the H1 to a slightly more usable product in the H2.ÂÂ
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