Hummer: H1 H1 on 2040-cars

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AM General's new CEO has strong military roots

AM General has a new president and chief executive officer. Current CEO Charlie Hall is retiring from the company. In his place, the defense and automotive manufacturer has named industry veteran Andy Hove. Though primarily a defense contractor, AM General has produced a number of civilian vehicles as well. The company is perhaps best known for the Hummer (or Humvee in military parlance) and continued producing both the original H1 and the subsequent H2 after selling the brand to General Motors. Even after GM shut down the brand, AM General continued producing Humvees for military use and as a civilian kit. The company is also behind Mobility Ventures, which produces purpose-built wheelchair-accessible vehicles, assembles the R-Class for Mercedes-Benz, and has been linked to potential commercial van and pickup truck assembly for GM as well. Based in South Bend, IN, AM General shares its roots with the Jeep brand. It was split off from American Motors Corporation after the latter was bought by Renault and then by Chrysler. Today it's owned by New York-based investment firms Renco Group and MacAndrews & Forbes. A former Army officer, Hove arrives at the company with considerable experience in the defense industry, particularly in vehicle manufacturing. He has previously served as president of HDT Global and before that of Oshkosh Defense. Prior to that he headed up the Bradley tank program for BAE Systems, where he increased sales from $250 million to $2 billion within five years. His departing predecessor Charlie Hall was named CEO in 2011, assuming day-to-day responsibility for the company's operations from the suitably named chairman James Armour. Related Video: AM General Announces Vehicle Manufacturing Industry Leader Andy Hove To Serve As Chief Executive Officer Hove Succeeds Retiring CEO Charlie Hall SOUTH BEND, Ind., Dec 8, 2015 – AM General, the global leader in light tactical vehicles, today announced that Andy Hove will serve as the company's new Chief Executive Officer and President, succeeding Charlie Hall who is retiring. Hove brings to AM General a track record of excellence at a diverse array of defense and commercial companies in the United States and around the world. Hove most recently served as the President and CEO of HDT Global where he rapidly proved the quality of his leadership in helping transform the company.

General Motors could turn Hamtramck into its electric pickup, SUV hub

Electric off-roaders could revitalize the Detroit-Hamtramck factory that General Motors previously announced it will close. While official details remain shrouded in secrecy, analysts believe the plant will be re-tooled to manufacture at least three electric models due out during the early 2020s. The plant's scheduled closure was one of the grievances the United Auto Workers (UAW) union cited when it embarked on a 40-day strike in September 2019. General Motors agreed to keep it open without shedding much light on what it planned to build there. Analyst at LMC Automotive told the The Detroit News they believe an often-rumored electric SUV that will resurrect Hummer's name, image, or both will be one of the models assigned to the Hamtramck plant. Battery-powered variants of the GMC Sierra and the Cadillac Escalade will be made there, too, as will an enigmatic van. LMC Automotive's Jeff Schuster believes the van will come first; it could enter production as early as 2021. The Hummer — which might also be offered as a pickup — will follow before the end of 2022, while the Sierra and the Escalade will both arrive in 2023. We're taking this report with a grain of salt, though, because only one of the aforementioned models has been announced by General Motors. Rumors of a Hummer resurrection emerged in the summer of 2019, just a few weeks before we heard unverified reports of a battery-powered variant of the next-generation Escalade. General Motors confirmed plans to enter the burgeoning electric pickup truck segment, which Ford, Rivian, and Tesla also have their sights on, but it hasn't detailed how or when. The van is a mystery. General Motors refused to comment on the report. It previously announced it will keep Hamtramck open, and invest $3 billion to build electric vehicles there. The investment will create 2,225 jobs. Inaugurated in February 1985, the Hamtramck factory has churned out a diverse selection of models over the past 34 years, including Cadillac's Eldorado, Seville, and Allante, the Oldsmobile Toronado, the Buick Riviera, and more recently, gasoline-electric Chevrolet Volt. General Motors announced plans to close Hamtramck in 2018, but it quickly backpedaled and extended its lease on life until 2020 by keeping the Chevrolet Impala and the Cadillac CT6 around for a few additional months.

Mil-Spec built a one-off, track-ready Hummer H1

Mil-Spec is one of the latest companies looking for success with restored and modified versions of iconic vehicles. Rather than Porsche 911s or '60s trucks and SUVs, its canvases are Hummer H1s. The customer vehicles are big, brash off-road machines, but that's not all the company is capable of. We recently learned that the crew over there built a Hummer H1 meant for race track use, and it is amazing. The base vehicle is a four-door convertible pickup truck, and Mil-Spec thoroughly changed the suspension. It has custom coilovers with stiff springs, and the entire suspension geometry has been revised. Overall, it was lowered a stunning seven inches compared with a stock H1. The H1's in-board brakes now feature six-piston brake calipers, and the wheels are wrapped in low-profile Pirelli P-Zero tires. Also impressive is the fact that the truck still has a part-time four-wheel-drive system. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Under the hood is a 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 similar to that in the customer models. But this one has been tuned all the way up to 800 horsepower and 1,500 pound-feet of torque. This engine also plays a role in this truck's origins. Apparently the truck was used for final powertrain testing and development. But it was also built to highlight the company's capabilities. If you want one of these, well, you can't have one. At least not yet. We asked a Mil-Spec representative, and he told us that there are no plans for offering track-oriented H1s. That's understandable, since the company is still working through building and selling its initial run of 12 off-road-ready vehicles. He did say the truck has generated a lot of interest, though. So, maybe when the company has time, and if a really wealthy buyer really wanted one, maybe the Mil-Spec could work something out. But at least in the meantime, the company is sticking to tall, chunky-tired H1s. Related Video: