US-Chinese joint venture may buy Hummer

Reports from China and America indicate that the Chengfeng Motor Company and the Hummer’s original builder, US firm AM General, are in talks to buy the brand back off General Motors.

GM wants to sell Hummer as part of its rationalisation plan to fight back from the threat of bankruptcy.

“We never quit talks on acquiring (Hummer),” Chengfeng executive  Zhengchu Chen told Chinese newspaper, Jinghua. “But now instead of doing it alone, we decide to form a partnership with AM General to reduce risk as the global economy falters. We have to always adjust our plan to market conditions.”

AM General built the original HMMWV (known in the civil market as the Hummer H1) for the American military from 1983 and later began producing and selling civilian versions.

General Motors bought Hummer in 1999 and developed the smaller, more urban-friendly H2, basing it on the Chevrolet Suburban station wagon platform. More recently it developed the H3 (pictured) which is marketed in New Zealand by Holden as one of its GM Premium Brands range.

AM General and Chengfeng are discussing forming a joint venture company, building Hummer as an independent brand in the USA, primarily for the American market.