It takes a special talent to infantilize the brute strength of a Hummer H1, but someone's gone and done it with an oddly swoopy redesign. One of only two made (yes, there is another), this unique Hummer features a custom hood and front bumper, as well as a multi-section removable roof should the driver and occupants actually wish to be seen tooling around the neighborhood in this beast.

Inside, it's been all tricked out with a trifecta of television screens, ostrich leather interior, iPod-compatible entertainment system, sat-nav, back-up cameras...the works. Even the turbodiesel V8 has been tweaked and mounted with a polished aluminum snorkel, complimented by a chrome Mack truck bulldog hood ornament. Oh, and it has a $2,000 train horn, just in case someone can't see this behemoth coming from a mile away. All this can be yours for the low price of $89,900 or best offer.



[Source: eBay Motors via Carscoop]

Last year, we compared the dirtside manners of the Hummer H2 and Toyota Land Cruiser. Both trucks did everything we asked of them, but at the end of the excursion we were left with another question begging to be answered: could the Hummer H3T stand up to the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon? These cruiserweights live on a fatter part of the buying curve, and any time a Jeep is summoned to the ring, the other vehicle is inevitably the challenger. Even though the H3T is still relatively new to the world, it came time to find out if it was ready to stand up and fight for its place. Follow the jump to see how it held up.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc.

China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, the company that recently surfaced as the top bidder for Hummer, is about to start talks with Chinese regulators to secure the deal. While General Motors has a tentative agreement with Tengzhong, the two companies have yet to receive the state's blessing, which is necessary for the sale to go through.

Tengzhong, GM and Hummer have been working on a proposal to present to the National Development and Reform Commission, despite speculation that the deal will be blocked by those Chinese officials. Tengzhong reportedly remains optimistic, saying they haven't heard anything from the authorities and don't expect to until their proposal is actually submitted.

Speculation that the deal was in jeopardy began when a China National Radio station reported that government regulators would block the deal based on environmental concerns about Hummer vehicles and the fact that Tengzhong doesn't have much experience as an automaker. Tengzhong is better known as a manufacturer of special-use vehicles, structural components for highways and bridges, construction machinery and energy equipment, so some have suggested this is little more than a publicity stunt for the company, but it certainly sounds like they are serious about the deal now.

[Sources: Reuters, Wall Street Journal]

General Motors' pending deal to offload its unwanted HUMMER brand may have hit a major snag. Although no official word has come from the Ministry of Commerce or the National Development and Reform Commission, state-run radio organizations are reporting that the Chinese government will indeed block the sale of HUMMER from GM to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. It's impossible to know exactly how this whole mess will play out, but these reports clearly jive with the general sentiments we've been hearing since the deal was first announced.

According to Chinese radio reports (via the BBC), there are two main objections to the HUMMER deal. First, the brand's environmental credentials don't match up with the direction the Chinese government wants its automakers to head. Second, there are questions as to whether Tengzhong has the expertise to properly manage a large automaker as it's business dealings so far have all been in the construction equipment segment.

Not so fast, says Tengzhong. In a newly-released statement regarding these latest reports, the company had this to say:

Some people may have views and speculation, but the Chinese government has a process that we respect... The view expressed on China National Radio's website did not quote or source anyone at NDRC. We do not yet have a definitive agreement, but are developing our proposals with GM and Hummer and we will continue to engage with the appropriate authorities in an appropriate manner.

At this point, it seems equally as possible that a decision could either come down in short order or come only after a long series of protracted negotiations. Stay tuned. Thanks for the tip, Dave S!



[Source: BBC]

As Chinese media outlets continue to voice derision over GM's agreement to sell its unwanted HUMMER division to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co., there are real questions as to whether or not the Chinese government will even approve of the purchase.

State-run media outlet Xinhua News Agency has suggested that Tengzhong's interest in HUMMER may be little more than a publicity stunt, saying, "It couldn't achieve this result (of raising its profile) even if it spent $100 million on advertising." Commenting on Tengzhong's deal to purchase HUMMER, China's Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said:

We hope Chinese companies learn more about international market rules and development trends in their industries and make prudent investments.

While none of that sounds particularly promising, it doesn't necessarily mean the deal won't be approved, and HUMMER CEO Jim Taylor is reportedly moving forward with the automaker's future plans as it looks for a new location outside GM's corporate headquarters in the Renaissance Center to call home. According to the Nashville Business Journal, HUMMER could stay in the Detroit area or possibly join Nissan by taking root in Tennessee.



[Sources: Autocar, Nashville Business Journal]

HUMMER's relationship with the American Red Cross extends back to 2005 when the SUV manufacturer first began supplying the agency with donated trucks for use in the disaster-stricken areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This relationship has been ongoing ever since, and in 2007, Brad Mellon, a volunteer with the San Diego/Imperial Counties chapter, snapped a stunning photograph of one the ARC's HUMMER H3s against the harrowing backdrop of a California wildfire.

While HUMMER waits to write a new future for itself under Chinese stewardship, its ties with the Red Cross have now been immortalized as part of a postage stamp issued by the Republic of Guinea. The stamp, commemorating Red Cross founder Henri Dunant, features artwork by Frenchman P. Pavilland, who saw fit to make the image of the H3 against the raging fire the background of the postage he was commissioned to design. So HUMMER goes out in a blaze of glory, so to speak... in Guinea, at least.



[Sources: HUMMER, eBay]

According to Automotive News, the deal between General Motors and Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery to offload Hummer should be complete by October. A statement made by STHIM's general manager, Yang Yi, further suggests that the Chinese company has no plans to export Hummer's equipment and/or technology to its home market, meaning that the truck brand's offerings should remain North American produced for the foreseeable future.

The details for Sichuan Tengzhong's winning bid for Hummer have not been disclosed, but according to AN, investment bankers are suggesting that the deal was likely brokered for around $100 million in cash, and Yi confirmed that the Chinese heavy machinery company would not be assuming any of GM's debt in the process.

Assuming STHIM and General Motors can sew up the bid for Hummer (in the third quarter or otherwise), the Chinese government will still need to grant approval before the deal can move forward.



[Source: Automotive News]

General Motors' potential sale of Hummer to Tengzhong is probably good news for those interested in seeing the company return to independent and profitable status as quickly as possible. The move should see enable GM to shed the negative political and social association of the star-crossed SUV brand and get some money in return. There is actually a better option, says The New York Times' Ethicist.

The Ethicist frames the issue as figuring out which is more important: GM's employees and shareholders (i.e., the American public) or the environment. Hummer vehicles are too heavy and use too much gas and, the Ethicist says, hazardous products should be regulated by the government. Now that the government basically owns Hummer, there is "an opportunity to reconsider transportation policy, including from a moral perspective. Such an analysis urges not merely discontinuing the Hummer but also significantly reducing our reliance on the private car." Here's more:

Shutting down Hummer could even turn out to be cost-effective. The sale price, perhaps as much as $500 million, may well be dwarfed by the long-term costs - in environmental damage, in public health - to us taxpayers, G.M.'s majority owners, of keeping those three tons of steel on the road. [...] The restructuring of G.M. gives us a chance to avert the fate of being laid low by our own automobiles, the grand manifestation of America's industrial might. The first thing we do, let's kill all the Hummers.

So, what's the right thing to do here?


[Source: The Ethicist]

On April 8, 50-year-old Charles P. Dimmick died doing what he loved to do: watching his favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, run in the Phoenix round of NASCAR. Dimmick was also the marketing manager at Lund Cadillac Hummer Saab in Phoenix, and if you believe the person who wrote his obituary, he also loved to sell cars.

In the notice itself (after the details of his death and before the details of the wake), was this line: "We are sure he would still want all to know that 0.9% financing is still available on all New 2008 Hummer H2's." It isn't clear who wrote the obituary, but tasking someone with selling H2 inventory even after they die sounds a bit like something Dante might be involved in.

[Source: Yahoo!]

According to a report from Bloomberg, state-owned Chinese news agency Shanghai Securities News is predicting that it is unlikely the Chinese government will approve the purchase of Hummer from General Motors by Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Why? Apparently, China actually wants to reduce the number of automakers operating within its borders and favors keeping manufacturers with an eye towards fuel efficiency. Of all the labels people have put on the Hummer brand, fuel efficient hasn't exactly been one of them. According to Tim Payne, a spokesman for Tengzhong:

"Some people may have views and speculation but the Chinese government has a process that we respect. We have only just signed an MOU but as we develop our proposals with GM and Hummer we will continue to work with the appropriate authorities."

In other words, it's too early to draw conclusions about whether or not China will approve of the purchase of Hummer. However, it does seem unlikely that Tengzhong would enter into the deal with the belief that the Chinese government would squash it, no?

[Source: Bloomberg]