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Hummer History |
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Hummer H1
In 1991, AM General Company introduced the Hummer H1 which was the first civilian model of the Humvee. The civilian model Hummer H1 was immediately accepted and soon became immensely popular. At that time the Hummer H1 became known as “the world’s most serious 4X4”. The Hummer has repeatedly been favored by commercial users who appreciate the value of the Hummer’s long life and exceptional versatility. Since its inception Hummer owners have admired the vehicle’s toughness and surprising mobility.
The H1 was initially promoted in 1990 by its manufacturer AM General in a race where two Hummer H1’s traversed the rough terrain from London, UK to Beijing, China. Much of the trip took place on the coarse roads of Central Soviet Union. The race was televised in the United States, which offered a tremendous amount of publicity for the H1 before it was available for purchase by the general public. When the Hummer H1 became available many were purchased by famous people such as Arnold Schwarzenegger which offered the Hummer H1 additional publicity. What made the Humvees truly well known to the American people was the 1991 Military Operation: Desert Storm. During this war the media frequently televised soldiers driving various models of the Humvee while performing their missions and duties in some of the roughest terrain anywhere in the world.
The Hummer H2 was first introduced to the public in 2003. The H2 is a smaller version of the H1 civilian High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. The H2 has room for five passengers and is considered a very capable multipurpose vehicle. The H2 is at home both on the roads in large cities as well as off-road traveling through rough terrain. The Hummer H2 also is available as a sport utility truck (SUT) which offers a short pick-up bed. The H2 has become very popular with the active minded person. They use the vehicle during the week to commute to work and on the weekends enjoy many off road driving adventures. The H2 has also proven to be a very popular limousine since it can comfortably seat a large group of passengers and offers a very discriminating interior. GM has introduced many custom parts and accessories for the H2 so that each owner can individualize and personalize their vehicle’s performance and appearance to match their personal needs and lifestyle.
In 2006 the next chapter in the growing HUMMER legacy continues with the introduction of the Hummer H3. In its more compact form the H3 delivers unmistakable authentic Hummer style with excellent off road capabilities in a smaller, more fuel efficient package. The H3 was designed to compete in the midsize sport utility marketplace. The H3 has proven to be a very reliable and fun midsized sport utility. H3 owners are enjoying the benefit of economical driving with true off road capabilities. This is a very rare combination which makes the Hummer H3 the choice for the conscientious and adventurous consumer. Again GM has taken the opportunity to manufacture and offer many custom parts and accessories for the Hummer H3 so that each individual owner has the ability to accessorize their vehicle to particular desires and needs.
Hummer History
The Military M998 Humvee was first introduced to replace the Jeep and lighter trucks being used by the U.S. Armed Forces. As early as the 1970’s, the jeeps and light trucks which were being used by the U.S. Military had proven to be inadequate during military missions in rough terrain which prompted the Military to search for a more capable vehicle.
In 1979 AM General began the preliminary design work on the new M998 Series High Mobility Multi – Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, pronounced Humvee, trademark) The original Humvee was a 1.25 ton truck which was intended to replace the M151 and other light tactical vehicles currently being used by the U.S. Army.
In 1981 the U.S. Army awarded AM General a prototype contract. The prototype vehicle was developed and tested over a five month period in 1982. In March 1983 AM General was awarded an initial order from the U.S. Army for $1.2 billion to produce 55,000 new Humvees to be built in five models with fifteen different configurations and delivered over a five year period. The Army was so pleased with the new Humvee that they increased their order with an additional 15,000 vehicles, increasing the total contract to 70,000 vehicles at a value of $1.6 billion.
The new Humvee offered exceptional speed, mobility and agility and was built on a multipurpose platform, which will accommodate a wide range of configurations and uses. The original Humvees offered a full-time four-wheel drive, independent suspension offering the vehicle the ability to climb up to a 60% grade and offered a full 16 inches of ground clearance. Humvees are currently being used by all four branches of the United States Armed Forces throughout the world.
In 1983, AM General a division of American Motors Corporation was sold to LTV Corporation and was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of LTV Aerospace and Defense Company.
In 1984 AM General moved its headquarters from the American Motors building in Livonia, Michigan and within two years they moved again in 1986 to its location in South Bend, Indiana where its primary manufacturing operations were located.
On January 2, 1985, AM General completed the first HMMWV (aka Hummer) off the assembly line at their new South Bend production facility. The first Hummer was a standard model Military vehicle design.
In 1989, AM General completed its remaining medium truck business and closed the Chippewa Avenue production facility in South Bend. This production facility was originally purchased from the Studebaker Automobile Company in 1964. With the closing of the Chippewa facility AM General moved its headquarters to its current location in downtown South Bend.
In August 1989, the U.S. Army awarded AM General with a new contract for an additional 33,000 Humvees. The first deliveries from the new contract began rolling out of the production facility in January 1990. The total value of the new multiyear contract was approximately $1 billion. With the availability of options the new contract increased to nearly 50,000 vehicles.
The Army was still so impressed with the Humvee that they awarded AM General a new contract in 1994 and an additional contract in 2000. The 2000 contract calls for up to 31,474 additional Humvees be manufactured through 2007. To date more than 175,000 total Humvees have been manufactured and delivered to the U.S. Armed Forces and more than 50 other countries.
In April 1992 LTV sold the AM General division to The Renco Group of New York. It was in 1992 that AM General began manufacturing the newest version of the Humvee called HUMMER. The new Hummer was designed and built for civilian use.
In 1999, AM General introduced a wholly owned subsidiary named General Engine Products, Inc. (GEP) to build a 6.5 liter diesel engine in their Franklin, Ohio plant. GEP supplies engines to General Motors Service Parts Operation as well as a number of other customers.
In 1999, AM General and General Motors entered into an agreement to work together on Product development, marketing and distribution for HUMMER. Within the agreement GM acquired the exclusive ownership of the HUMMER brand name worldwide.
During AM General’s eighty years of automotive production they have established a reputation as one of the premier designers and producers of military and special purpose vehicles.
Humvee is a registered trademark of AM General, LLC.
HUMMER, H1, H2, H3 are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
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