General Motors and the Chinese government came to blows over an attempted sell-off of the Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. Ltd, but this hasn’t stopped Qu Zhibo from building his own Hummer.

The result may look like a composite of a kiddie jeep, doghouse and wheelbarrow, but one thing is for certain: the three years of development have paid off: it is the most environmentally friendly Hummer ever to grace the earth. Power comes from [fred flintstone drive?] something undisclosed and the whole thing cost Zhibo $630 to build.

He pointed out though that a significant portion of the outlay will go towards painting his chariot, somewhere north of $160 once he gets around to it.

- By: Sawyer Sutton

Source: China Car News

Even the U.S. Army is looking to go a little more eco-friendly as it searches to replace the Humvee with a more fuel efficient model.

A program initiated by the U.K. based Ricardo Inc. called the Fuel Efficient Demonstrator has a goal to “improve military vehicle technology, reduce fuel consumption on the battlefield and reduce the nation’s dependance on oil,” per the company’s website. The Army has been working with this company and so far has an FED Alpha model that sees a 70% improvement in fuel consumption over the M1114 Hummer. However, the Alpha’s 7 mpg to the Hummer’s 4 mpg is what that improvement equates to.

Other improvements include an aluminum body structure to reduce weight, low-friction parts with custom brakes, transmission, and engine.

A Bravo model is currently in development as well, which is said to utilize a hybrid electric powertrain and should be tested by the end of the year.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: KickingTires

Charges will be filed by the FBI against two people involved in a scheme where over 200 Hummers had been fraudulently sold.

The Hummers were sold overseas by a salesman working at a car dealership in Omaha that was stocking the SUVs. He has already been arrested, but the FBI is still after the owner of a trucking company out of Overland Park, Kan.

A car brokerage out of Missouri has also be cited for involvement, with owners Ed and Patrice Robertson being named. The FBI is under the impression that they sold the Hummers to Ace Auto Sales of San Garbrial, CA, LOR Enterprises of St. Petersburg, FL, and Toronto Auto Wholesale of Ontario, where they were then exported overseas. No charges have been brought up against the two, so far.

Vehicles were sold with fake titles out of the country, and allowed the buyers to receive over $500,000 in incentive funds that were not due to them. They have turned up in Germany, Japan, China, Nigeria, Canada, Belgium, and the United Arab Emirates.

Those that have already been arrested are being charged with one count of conspiracy and 11 counts of wire fraud. The Huber dealership itself was required to pay a $100,000 fine by the Nebraska Vehicle Industry Licensing Board.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: USAToday

HUMMER H3

General Motors said that it is recalling all Hummer H3 units produced since the 2006 model year to fix a portion of the hood that can detach during driving. The voluntary recall affects 164,190 H3 and H3Ts in the United States and 198,404 worldwide.

Spokesman Nick Richards said that a device on the hood called a hood louver can come loose and possibly detach while driving – not to mention the device is actually a decorative homage to the old Hummer models. Richards said that there have only been two complaints for the problem in the U.S. and three in Japan.

GM is in the midst of shutting down Hummer after failing to sell the brand to Chinese company Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd. (Tengzhong).

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Detroit News

Pontiac G8 GXP

General Motors announced today that within the next couple of months, the Detroit automaker will no longer be selling vehicles from the brands it is eliminating. Executives said that there are about 2,000 Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn vehicles left in its inventory.

During the month of April, GM sold 52 Pontiacs, 373 Saturns and 481 Hummers. It expects the remaining inventory to be gone in about 60 days.

GM sold Saab to Spyker so Saab sales are no longer counted in GM’s totals.

Chevrolet’s chief Jim Campbell said that Chevrolet dealers are currently focusing on providing service to Saturn owners, and then will approach them on the sales side.

Buick/GMC Chief Brian Sweeney said about 200,000 Pontiac owners have taken advantage of the company’s free maintenance program offered by GM at its dealerships.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoObserver

General Motors told its dealers earlier this morning that it is shutting down its Hummer brand for good. After a possible sale to Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery failed to receive Chinese government approval in February, GM said it will consider other offers for the SUV brand.

After failing to come to terms with other offers, GM has decided to move forward with closing the brand, Hummer spokesman Nick Richards said. Jim Bunnell, GM’s general director of network support, broke the news to dealers during a conference call this morning.

Hummer CEO Jim Taylor will retire effective immediately.

Hummer has 153 stores in the United States. To clear out the remaining 2,200 new Hummers in stock, Richards said Hummer will run incentives through the end of this month.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

While Hummer is preparing to wind down, GeigerCars is continuing its obsession with the brand and American brands in general. The tuner has just released its Hummer H2 Bomber, an H2 wearing four Mattracks 88M1-A1 rubber tracks that replace your 20-inch chrome wheels.

“n contrast to the regular wheels with their 8.5″ x 20″ rims encompassing 305/60 tires, the specialists from Munich have equipped their project SUV with a Mattracks 88M1-A1 rubber tracks at each wheel,” GeigerCars said in a statement. “Those massive structures, 40cm wide and 150cm long, guarantee unrivalled traction on virtually any type of terrain, whether the vehicle is needed for agriculture, emergency services or expedition. Even extreme gradients are handled without a sweat, not least thanks to the powerful 8 cylinders under the bonnet which gives you 398 bhp.”

Honestly, we’d love to get behind one.

GeigerCars Hummer H2 Bomber:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: GeigerCars (via WCF)

An artist by the name of Jeremy Dean created something called “Back to the Futurama,” a statement to the current American consumer culture, the auto industry and the economic recession. Dean figured that the biggest impressions he could make for his “Back to the Futurama” would be to turn a Hummer H2 into a horse carriage, and that’s exactly what he did.

Jeremy, 33, went out and bought a used Hummer H2 cashing out close to $15,000. With the help of some mechanics, Jeremy dismantled the vehicle, took out the engine and everything else he didn’t need to make his Hummer H2 horse carriage.

Jeremy says that the project was inspired by the Great Depression, at a time when people could no longer afford gas for their vehicles and hitched them to horses, creating “Hoover Carts.”

“I was fascinated by the Hoover Cart story and the image I saw in my mind of the re-imagined vehicle, this ultimate coping mechanism, and it seemed to me then, as it does now, a monument to the absurd, as only something utilitarian done in prolonged crisis can be,” Jeremy says.

His 1,800-pound car made its public debut in Central Park, pulled by two horses named Diesel and Dean.

We give it two big thumbs up.

Check out to videos of the project after the jump.

Hummer H2 Horse Carriage (Hoover Cart):

Futurama: HUMMER deconstruct:

Futurama: Hummer:

- By: Omar Rana

After talks with Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd. (Tengzhong) broke down last month, General Motors said that it will begin the orderly wind-down of the Hummer operations. However, GM also confirmed that it is examining prior bids with a fresh look and is also looking at new offers.

According to a report by Dow Jones Newswires today, GM talks with other potential buyers have also stalled.

Hummer spokesman Nick Richards declined to comment on the report and a spokesman for GM”s international operations couldn”t immediately be reached for comment.

Even if the brand is shut down, GM said that it will continue to honor Hummer warranties, while providing service support and spare parts to current Hummer owners.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

Two dead General Motors brands, Saturn and Hummer, will get their last hurrah on the automaker’s assembly line.

“We are building out a few Saturns to utilize existing material,” GM spokeswoman Kim Carpenter said. She said that GM will assemble Outlooks for a few more weeks.

The automaker made 1,037 Outlook crossovers last month after not making any Saturns in October.

A fleet company has also ordered 849 Hummer H3s and H3Ts, so the Hummer line in Shreveport, La., will restart April 12 to build the vehicles. The automaker has promised to finish the Hummer production run by May 13.

Hummer stopped production in January.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

In the wake of the collapsed bidding process by Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery to acquire Hummer, GM is examining prior bids with a fresh look. In a situation reminiscent of that with Saab, the company however will begin the winding down process while examining bids. Hummer’s chances of resurrection however, are significantly lower than that of Saab.

Hummer’s sales took the biggest hit in the industry as they showed a 67% decline last year.

Having been sold to civilians since 1992, the Hummer was selling between 800 and 1,000 civilian units in 1999, when GM brought the brand, and after the inception of the H2, civilian U.S. sales peaked at 71,524 units in 2006. After a steep incline in gas prices, sales dwindled last year to an astronomically low 9,046 units last year.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

General Motors just announced that Chinese company Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd. (Tengzhong) was unable to complete the acquisition of Hummer. The Detroit automaker said that it will begin the orderly wind-down of the Hummer operations.

“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,” said John Smith GM vice president of corporate planning and alliances. “GM will now work closely with HUMMER employees, dealers and suppliers to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner.”

GM said that it will continue to honor Hummer warranties, while providing service support and spare parts to current Hummer owners.

- By: Omar Rana

J.D. Power and Associates today released its 2010 Customer Service Index (CSI) Study. The group said that outlook for auto dealers service volumes and customer spending appears to be decreasing due to depressed sales in 2008 and 2009. J.D. Power and Associates said that it expects service traffic volume to drop approximately 20 percent between 2009 and 2013, resulting in a 25 percent decrease in service dollars.

Separately, J.D. Power and Associates found that Lexus ranks highest in customer satisfaction with dealer service among luxury brands and receives the award for a second consecutive year. Lexus achieved an overall CSI score of 837 on a 1,000-pint scale. Cadillac followed Lexus with 827 points, while Jaguar and Acura trailed behind with 822 and 817 points respectively. BMW closed off the top five with a score of 816 points.

Among mass market brands, HUMMER came in top with a score of 815 points followed by Saturn with 808 points. Buick came in third with 805 points, while Chevrolet coming in fourth with 787 points. Mini closed off the top five with 786 points.

The study found that overall satisfaction with dealer service has increased from 761 in 2009 to 767 in 2010 – marking the 10th consecutive year of industry-wide improvement.

Hit the jump for the press release for more details.

Press Release:

Low Vehicle Sales Likely to Cause Precipitous Drop in Auto Dealer Service Visits
During the Next Several Years, Reaching Low Point in 2013

Lexus Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Dealer Service among Luxury Brands,
While HUMMER Ranks Highest among Mass Market Brands

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 24 February 2010 – The outlook for auto dealer service volumes and customer spending appears challenging, with decreases in service business brought on by depressed auto sales in 2008 and 2009 projected to continue for several years, whereby service volume may reach a low point in 2013, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM released today.

Dealer service traffic volumes are expected to decline by approximately 20 percent between 2009 and 2013, resulting in a 25 percent decrease in service dollars from owners of late (2005 to 2009) model year vehicles. Particularly in the current period of slow auto sales, most dealers rely on service business to stay profitable.

“Over time, many vehicle owners gradually defect to non-dealer service facilities for repair and maintenance needs, particularly when the warranty period expires,” said Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power and Associates. “With service customer retention becoming more crucial than ever during the next few years, dealerships must focus on not only providing superior levels of customer service, but also on enhancing convenience for vehicle owners and providing pricing that is more competitive with non-dealer facilities.”

The study examines satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit a service department for maintenance or repair work. The CSI rankings are based on dealer performance during the first three years of ownership, which typically represents the majority of the vehicle warranty period. Five measures are examined to determine overall customer satisfaction with dealer service (listed in order of importance): service quality; service initiation; service advisor; service facility; and vehicle pick-up.

Lexus ranks highest in customer satisfaction with dealer service among luxury brands and receives an award for a second consecutive year. Lexus achieves an overall CSI score of 837 on a 1,000-point scale and performs particularly well in four of the five measures: service quality; service initiation; service advisor; and service facility. Rounding out the top five nameplates in the premium segment are Cadillac (827), Jaguar (822), Acura (817) and BMW (816). Among luxury brands, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz post the greatest improvements from 2009.

Among mass market brands, HUMMER ranks highest with a score of 815 and performs particularly well in the service quality and service facility factors. Also among the top five brands in the mass market segment are Saturn (808), Buick (805), Chevrolet (787) and MINI (786). Six General Motors brands (including brands GM is divesting) rank within the top seven in the mass market segment. Among mass market brands, Kia and Volkswagen post the greatest improvements from 2009.

The study finds that overall satisfaction with dealer service has increased from 761 in 2009 to 767 in 2010, marking the 10th consecutive year of industry-wide improvement.

Notable improvements are demonstrated in the service facility and service quality measures in 2010, compared with 2009. In particular, satisfaction has increased in the following areas: ease of driving in and out of dealer facilities; convenience of parking; thoroughness of the work performed; the total time required to complete service on the vehicle; flexibility of accommodating the customer schedules; and thoroughness of explanations.

Several other time-related metrics have improved from 2009, including customer ability to get a service appointment on the same day as their initial inquiry call and service being completed the day that the vehicle was brought in for service.

“These improvements may be due to not only an increased focus on customer satisfaction from dealers, but also are possibly a result of lower volumes of service traffic that dealers are now experiencing,” said Osborn.

The 2010 CSI Study is based on responses from more than 114,200 owners and lessees of 2005 to 2009 model-year vehicles. The study was fielded between October and December 2009. J.D. Power and Associates measures dealer service in various countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK.

- By: Omar Rana

Earlier last month General Motors suspended production of Hummer vehicles pending approval from the Chinese government with regards to its deal to sell the brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industry Machinery. Well, it doesn’t seem like Hummer vehicles will re-enter production anytime soon because GM and Tengzhong have extended the deal deadline to the end of February.

“GM and Tengzhong agreed to extend the deadline to the end of February,” Tengzhong said in a statement, adding that the company was waiting for approval from Beijing to finalize the deal.

Hummer boss Jim Taylor said the transaction approval process was not proceeding as quickly as originally expected.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Reuters

The brass over at General Motors has suspended any further production of Hummer vehicles pending approval from the Chinese government with regards to its deal to sell the brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industry Machinery Co., said a GM spokesperson today.

The Louisiana factory that produces the H3 and H3T – the last two Hummer models still in production – will remain open however, as the GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado pick-ups are also produced there. As for now, there are no plans to lay off any of the 1,120 plant employees.

With sales of 325 units last month and 2,100 units in dealer inventories, the company feels that there is enough stock to get the brand through to the point when the deal will be approved, though there is no indication at this time of exactly when that point will come. It is assumed however, that the deal should be completed within the early part of 2010.

GM finalized the deal in October whereby the Chinese company will purchase 80% of the brand, with the other 20% being sold to private investors.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: CNNMoney

According to General Motors’ sales executive, Susan Docherty, a total of 1,712 Saturn and Pontiac vehicles remain in the company’s inventory. Docherty told reporters and analysts that only 796 Pontiacs and 916 Saturn units remain, as compared to 32,000 Saturns and more than 70,000 Pontiacs the company had in May as it filed for Chapter 11.

While GM waits for a successful bid for Saab, it is continuing to wind down the brand. As of right now, 1,235 Saab vehicles remain in inventory. Hummer, which is being sold to a Chinese company, has 2,176 units.

Together, the four brands represented 9 percent of retail sales in December, compared with 15 percent in May 2009.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoObserver

According to J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Avoider Study, nearly one in five new car shoppers avoid a brand due to their concerns over the future of the company.

J.D. Power and Associates said that the top five brands being avoided by consumers are domestic brands including Chrysler, Dodge, HUMMER, Pontiac and Saturn. The firm said that at the time of the study, GM had announced that Saturn, Pontiac and Hummer will not be part of the new GM. It said that Ford, Lincoln and Mercury had a much lower level of avoidance.

“For some American manufacturers, quality and reliability performance in the past has led to a poor perception among consumers and, ultimately, to overall avoidance of those brands,” said Kerri Wise, director of automotive research at
J.D. Power and Associates. “These perceptions are slow to change among consumers, so domestic brands must continue to focus on quality improvement and make sure their efforts are communicated to consumers.”

The 2009 Avoider Study is based on responses of 45,000 owners who registered a new car in May or June 2009.

Click through for the press release.

Press Release:

J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Uncertain Future of Brands Dissuades Some New-Vehicle Buyers from Considering Particular Brands

Lack of Awareness and Styling Are Obstacles to Consideration for Many New-Vehicle Launches

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 15 December 2009 – Nearly one in five new-vehicle buyers who avoid a particular vehicle model cite their concern over the future of the brand as a reason for avoidance, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Avoider StudySM released today.

The study, now in its seventh year, examines the reasons consumers fail to consider or avoid particular models when shopping for new vehicles. While the top three avoidance reasons in 2009-styling, price and perceived reliability-remain unchanged from 2008, concern over the future of the brand is the fourth-most-frequently mentioned reason for avoiding a particular model. Included in the study for the first time, this reason was mentioned by 18 percent of avoiders.

Among brands that were avoided due to concerns over their future viability, the top five are domestic brands: Chrysler, Dodge, HUMMER, Pontiac and Saturn. At the time of the study, GM had announced that HUMMER, Pontiac and Saturn would not be part of “New GM,” while Chrysler, along with GM, was in bankruptcy proceedings. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury had much lower levels of avoidance because of concerns over the brands’ futures. This could be largely attributable to the fact that Ford did not enter bankruptcy proceedings or receive government assistance during the auto industry bailout.

“New-vehicle buyers want to know that if anything goes wrong with their vehicle in a year or two that the manufacturer will be there to back up their product,” said Kerri Wise, director of automotive research at
J.D. Power and Associates. “While Chrysler and GM struggled to gain the confidence of some consumers, Ford actually made strides in improving perceptions of its products and reducing year-over-year avoidance in the critical areas of quality and reliability.”

Buyers who avoided a particular brand due to concern about the brand’s future are more likely to also avoid the brand because of reliability, rapid depreciation, the manufacturer’s reputation and poor quality, when compared with avoiders who did not express concern with a brand’s future.

The uncertain economic outlook has also negatively impacted avoidance rates for import brands. Although imports have increased 2009 year-to-date market share by 3 percentage points, compared with 2008, a “Buy American” sentiment has grown from 2008 among domestic buyers who avoid imports. In 2009, nearly six in 10 domestic buyers who avoided an import model cite they “didn’t want a foreign/import vehicle” as a reason for avoidance-compared with 46 percent in 2008.

“Several import models are actually produced in the U.S. but are still avoided due to foreign origin,” said Wise. “To combat this growing sentiment against import vehicles, import brands that produce vehicles in the U.S. must continue to promote and emphasize their domestic ties, as well as other product advantages.”

The study, which also examines the performance of 19 all-new models, finds that one of the biggest obstacles to consideration for all-new model launches is a lack of awareness among consumers. While launches such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger have high levels of awareness, due to both their past generations and consumer buzz over the new releases, some new vehicles do not have high awareness among consumers.

“Creating awareness and an identity in the crowded automotive market takes both time and money,” said Wise. “A new-vehicle buyer who purchases in a segment in which an all-new model competes and doesn’t even know that the new model exists presents an obvious concern for future sales of that model.”

Styling is also a critical element of consideration for all-new model launches. The study finds that the Audi Q5, Dodge Challenger, Kia Soul and Pontiac G3 are “universally desired,” meaning that buyers are driven to purchase them due to styling and avoiders are not turned off by the styling. On the other hand, some models appear to be polarizing when it comes to styling, including models such as the Ford Flex and Nissan Cube. While buyers of these models are influenced to purchase due to styling, this same styling causes many consumers to avoid these models.

“Many manufacturers would like their vehicles to be universally appealing, but “˜love it or hate it’ models have the potential to create just as much buzz and move as quickly off the lot,” said Wise. “It is important for launch models to hit the mark when it comes to styling, as a hot model launch may be a game changer for a brand overall.”

The 2009 Avoider Study is based on responses from nearly 45,000 owners who registered a new vehicle in May or June 2009. The study was fielded August through October 2009.

- By: Stephen Calogera

General Motors Company said today that it has started production of the 2010 Hummer H3 SUV and the H3T pickup at its Shreveport, LA plant as inventory continues to drop.

Inventory “is very low,” Hummer spokesman Nick Richards told Automotive News. As of November 1, Hummer had about 1,138 vehicles in the United States.

“We’re hungry for Hummer product,” said John Sutliff, president of Sutliff Cadillac, Hummer and Saab in Mechanicsburg, Pa. His dealership currently has two 2009 H3 SUVs and six 2009 H3T pickups. Richards said that the 2010 H3 SUVs should start hitting dealerships in early December.

The halt on production “wasn’t our decision,” he said. “It was based on everything going on around” GM’s sale of Hummer to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co.

The 2010 Hummer H3 and the H3T are now available with a new E85 Flex Fuel 5.3L V8 engine.

2010 Hummer H3 and 2010 Hummer H3T:

- By: Kap Shah