How would you feel about Hummer making a return? With a possible sale of AM General, it could happen.
AM General, known for civilizing the HMMWV and foisting it upon the public in 1991, has apparently put itself up for sale. Those in the know say it is seeking a suitor. Who’s waiting in the wings? Both GM and FCA, according to reports.
News service Reuters reported Monday that potential buyers of the off-road brand includes the two Detroit automakers, plus a group of AM General’s current industry rivals such as Oshkosh – that’s the defense company, not the one that makes kid’s clothing.
Even though the Hummer brand was folded by GM almost ten years ago as part of its embarrassing sojourn through bankruptcy, AM General continues builds the military-spec Humvee. It introduced the original civvie H1 in 1992, counting macho man turned governor Arnold Schwarzenegger amongst its first customers.
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After selling the Hummer brand rights to General Motors, AM General continued to build the H1 at its plant in South Bend, Indiana. GM went on to create a Jeep rival out of the Hummer name, one which the company surely wishes they still had todaygiven Jeep’s success and the American’s public insatiable appetite for SUVs.
Given that history lesson, the reasoning behind The General’s interest in purchasing AM General should be clear. Even excluding a potential Hummer redux, buying the military contractor would put GM’s foot in the door at government levels. Don’t forget – the company established GM Defense earlier this year.
FCA’s business case is more hazy. However, it is well known in certain circles that the U.S. Army is preparing to modernize its fleet with new land vehicles are expected to enter service within the next five years. Owing AM General would give FCA another potential revenue stream but it does seems like an odd fit. Stranger things have happened, of course.
Would you like to see a reboot of the Jeep-fighting Hummer brand? Let us know in the comment section below.