Filed under: SUV, Truck, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Hummer, Off-Road

General Motors has already begun turning the lights off at its Hummer brand, though that may be no fault of multiple potential buyers. We’re not just talking interested parties from China here, either. According to brand enthusiast website HummerGuy, several American-based companies have expressed viable interest in snapping up the SUV-slinging manufacturer over the past few months. Even more surprisingly, all of the potential offers have reportedly fallen on deaf ears.

Both Raser Technologies and Electric Motors Corporation have supposedly made The General offers worth considering, and GM has left them unanswered. These whispers haven’t just been crawling around the web – they’ve evidently made their way all the way to Illinois Senator Roland Burris (above), who has promised to look into the matter himself.

While we’d be thoroughly surprised if such an investigation had any repercussions, we have to wonder why GM would say no both of the EV builders unless it thinks it can make more money winding down the brand by selling off tooling and manufacturing rights, or perhaps just avoiding bureaucratic headaches. Some experts believe GM might be worried about competition from future extended-range EVs, but we have a hard time imagining one of the world’s biggest manufacturers losing sleep over a couple of startups. Either way, as with Saab before it, there remains a sliver of hope for the brand, but we certainly wouldn’t bet on another eleventh-hour miracle.

[Source: HummerGuy | Image: Burris.senate.gov]

Report: Senator to investigate GM’s handling of Hummer deal originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Senator to investigate GM’s handling of Hummer deal

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Hummer, Off-Road

General Motors has already begun turning the lights off at its Hummer brand, though that may be no fault of multiple potential buyers. We’re not just talking interested parties from China here, either. According to brand enthusiast website HummerGuy, several American-based companies have expressed viable interest in snapping up the SUV-slinging manufacturer over the past few months. Even more surprisingly, all of the potential offers have reportedly fallen on deaf ears.

Both Raser Technologies and Electric Motors Corporation have supposedly made The General offers worth considering, and GM has left them unanswered. These whispers haven’t just been crawling around the web – they’ve evidently made their way all the way to Illinois Senator Roland Burris (above), who has promised to look into the matter himself.

While we’d be thoroughly surprised if such an investigation had any repercussions, we have to wonder why GM would say no both of the EV builders unless it thinks it can make more money winding down the brand by selling off tooling and manufacturing rights, or perhaps just avoiding bureaucratic headaches. Some experts believe GM might be worried about competition from future extended-range EVs, but we have a hard time imagining one of the world’s biggest manufacturers losing sleep over a couple of startups. Either way, as with Saab before it, there remains a sliver of hope for the brand, but we certainly wouldn’t bet on another eleventh-hour miracle.

[Source: HummerGuy | Image: Burris.senate.gov]

Report: Senator to investigate GM’s handling of Hummer deal originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Senator to investigate GM’s handling of Hummer deal

Filed under: Hybrid, SUV, Truck, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Hummer, Off-Road

Sure enough, someone out there still wants Hummer. According to a report by The Car Connection, Raser Technologies has put multiple bids in for the General Motors Earth-squishing trucks – both before and after the failed bid from China’s Sichuan-Tengzhong. Raser Technologies made a name for itself by converting an H3 into a plug-in hybrid not too long ago, and if the company managed to gain control of the future of the Hummer brand, you could bet your biscuits it wouldn’t be too long before a hybrid truck made its way into showrooms.

Raser Technologies already has a prototype extended-range EV platform – the same tech fitted into the electrified H3. According to the company, the truck can cruise up to 40 miles on electric-only power, and should be capable of close to 100 mpg by the time everything’s said and done. There’s some speculation that GM is shy about handing Hummer over to Raser because of the potential threat to Detroit’s own extended-range EV program, though we find that one tough to swallow.

For now, it looks like a dead end for Hummer. With GM already switching off the lights and sallying forth with the wind down, it doesn’t look good for the brand, but as we learned with Saab, there’s always hope. We’ll keep you posted on the next on again/off again deal.

[Source: The Car Connection]

One more bidder reported left for Hummer, but is GM listening? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One more bidder reported left for Hummer, but is GM listening?

Filed under: SUV, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Hummer, Off-Road

Unless a buyer for Hummer materializes in the next few months, General Motors will continue to wind-down its environmental group dart board. The slow death of Hummer has actually been in process since before The General announced that the sale of the brand to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery fell through, as the company’s Shreveport, LA facility stopped making H3 and H3T models in January.

But while Shreveport has been down for two months, it looks like the plant could dust off the H3 tooling to fill one more big order. Brandcentric site Hummerguy.net is reporting that GM is ramping up production of the H3 from April 12 to May 13 to fill a 849 unit order. The General reportedly didn’t announce the purchaser of the reported mega Hummer order, but the Detroit, MI-based automaker did say that the order was not related to the brand’s wind-down or sale.

We’re thinking this news won’t stop Hummer from off-roading into the sunset, but it does at least prove that there are still people that like Hummers. Now all GM needs is a Hummer lover with a spare $150 million laying around the compound to step up and buy the withering brand.

[Source: Hummer Guy]

Hummer plant coming back online to fill 849-unit order? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hummer plant coming back online to fill 849-unit order?

Filed under: SUV, GM, Hummer, Earnings/Financials, Off-Road

Although it has been evident for some time that General Motors‘ sale of its Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd., we didn’t expect for word to come down today that the negotiations are dead and the brand will be wound down. Unfortunately, judging by a press release just issued by GM, that’s exactly what will be happening. According to John Smith, GM’s vice president of corporate planning and alliances,

“One year ago, General Motors announced that we were going to divest Hummer, as part of focusing our efforts on Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac going forward. We have since considered a number of possibilities for Hummer along the way, and we are disappointed that the deal with Tengzhong could not be completed.”

As we learned from the Saab sale saga, GM announcing that the brand will be wound down does not completely extinguish hope for another buyer to slip in in the 11th hour, but it does seem highly improbable that a new party will pick up where the negotiations with China’s Tengzhong left off.

In the statement available after the jump, GM does not specify what killed the planned sale of the brand, but rumors in recent months suggested that the Chinese government was not keen to sign off on the deal. At the moment, it is unclear what will happen to Hummer’s H2 and H3/H3T models, but it is likely that the tooling and manufacturing rights will be sold off to other companies. It is also unclear how many employees will be out of work as a result of the closure.

As with the wind-down of its Saturn and Pontiac brands, GM has pledged to honor Hummer warranties and continue to supply service and parts.

[Source: General Motors | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]

Continue reading BREAKING: GM announces Hummer sale cannot be concluded, brand to be wound down

BREAKING: GM announces Hummer sale cannot be concluded, brand to be wound down originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: GM announces Hummer sale cannot be concluded, brand to be wound down

Filed under: SUV, China, Government/Legal, Hummer, Earnings/Financials

It looks like General Motors‘ deal to sell its Hummer brand to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery is on shaky ground. According to Reuters, the likelihood that the Chinese government will give its approval to Tengzhong has been waning in recent weeks, leading the would-be purchasers to consider making the acquisition using an offshore investment vehicle to skirt the need for Chinese regulatory approval. GM and Tengzhong had originally set a January 31st deadline to complete the sale, later extending that time frame to February 28th.

The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce are thought to have taken issue with the idea of such an environmentally unfriendly automaker coming under Chinese ownership. Further, Tengzhong has never actually made a passenger vehicle, and China already has over 100 companies producing automobiles and the government has gone on record saying it would like to reduce that number. Stay tuned.

[Source: Reuters]

Hummer deal with China’s Tengzhong looking shaky originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hummer deal with China’s Tengzhong looking shaky

Filed under: China, Etc., Videos, Hummer, Humor

Hummer may be the most hated automotive brand in the history of the green movement, but even Al Gore has to admit that there are times when a big, hulking SUV is necessary. The snowed-in residents of Baltimore City are likely very happy there was at least one H2 nearby when one of their massive snow plows got stuck in a couple feet of the white stuff. We’re not talking a 20 year-old Super Duty with a blade here folks. Nope. We’re talking one of those massive International trucks with four full-sized doors and a plow bigger than your typical midsize sedan.

Hit the jump and watch as the H2 digs deep and rescues the much larger plow truck from the indomitable snow drift. That’s enough of a sign of force to make a Chinese company very proud. Or not.

[Source: WBAL TV]

Continue reading Video: Hummers still good for some things, like towing giant snowplows

Video: Hummers still good for some things, like towing giant snowplows originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hummers still good for some things, like towing giant snowplows

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

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.

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

Filed under: SUV, Truck, GM, Hummer, Rumormill, Off-Road

As a brand, Hummer has been in limbo since General Motors announced it was selling the downtrodden marque to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd. Speculation remains that the sale could be completed on or around December 1, pending approval from GM and the Chinese government. For now, everything is on hold, though Tengzhong and new Hummer CEO Jim Taylor are apparently still working hard to plan Hummer’s future.

First on the “Honey Do” list is to arrest the free-fall of Hummer sales. Right now, sales are down 64% on the year to about 8,500 units, but Hummer is looking for 25,000 sales in 2010. That will be a tough nut to crack, but Automotive News reports that the company optimistically plans to get things done in part with some aggressive marketing. Ultimately, however, new product will be needed to get dealerships buzzing with customers again. In the meantime, Hummer’s 154 U.S. dealers need more inventory in the showrooms to help move metal. AN says that dealers only have 1,300 units in stock, compared to the 7,400 vehicles at the same time in 2008.

The last piece of the Hummer reclamation project is adding those new models. When Tengzhong gets the keys to the Hummer kingdom, it will also receive engineering plans for the H4, a new smaller model that is reportedly based on the HX Concept from the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. Taylor reportedly told AN that Hummer’s Jeep Wrangler fighter could arrive within three years. Also possible is an even smaller Hummer H5, which would help the SUV automaker to meet future CAFE requirements. Taylor even goes as far as to say that the smaller H4 and H5 could one day replace the brand’s heavier and thirstier H2 and H3 mainstays. The next big challenge for Hummer once the sale becomes final is to find a manufacturing partner to build these vehicles. GM will reportedly cease building Hummer models as early as the end of 2010.

[Source: Automotive News - subs req'd]

REPORT: Hummer getting plans in order for H4 and H5 models originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Hummer getting plans in order for H4 and H5 models

Filed under: SUV, Truck, China, Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Hummer, UAW/Unions

Cedric Glover, the mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, went to Washington, D.C. to plead his case for the sale of Hummer to Tengzhong. The only thing is, we’re not sure why he went. To be more precise, we do know that he wants to protect jobs at GM’s Shreveport plant that builds Hummers. The plant has about 800 workers who build some of The General’s pickup trucks and Hummer models, and the loss of The Big H would undoubtedly put people out of work.

What we’re not sure of is what he thinks Washington has to do with it. He did ask that a couple of D.C. muckety-mucks “consider reaching out to the Chinese government to urge immediate approval of the Hummer deal,” but Washington hasn’t expressed any opposition to the deal and probably couldn’t get the deal concluded on the Chinese side any sooner — never mind the fact that Hummer is the least of Washington’s concerns as far as China goes.

We’ve been told by one source at Hummer that although nothing is final until it’s signed, they feel good about the deal, and Tengzhong must have known what it was doing when it made the bid in the first place. Yet beyond all that, as it stands today the Shreveport plant has three years to live at most: the facility wasn’t part of the Hummer sale, and GM said it would shutter the place by 2012 at the latest. Mayor Glover wants to save jobs in his town, which is great, but unless GM starts going gangbusters (and soon) then Glover could be playing the Deck Chair and Sinking Ship game.

[Source: HummerGuy]

Shreveport, LA mayor lobbies D.C. to close the HUMMER deal, already originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shreveport, LA mayor lobbies D.C. to close the HUMMER deal, already