The H1 is the military version made in Mishawaka, Indiana and is owned by AM General. That one isn't for sale nor is it going anywhere. The plant is operational and turning out H1s by the hundreds. (They used to make commercial H1s for sale to the public... starting price was about a hundred grand. That didn't last too many years).
The H2 is made right next door to the H1 in Mishawaka, Indiana. That is the one that they have the agreement with GM to market and sell under the Hummer brand name. AM General makes it for GM. That plant is currently shut down. Almost all of the H2 workers have been absorbed into the H1 plant.
The H3 is also made by AM General for GM. I am not familiar with it or the current status of that plant. I assume it is also marketed under the Hummer brand name.
I believe the Hummer brand is for sale. I also heard yesterday the Chinese government is trying to block the purchase of the Hummer brand by a Chinses company. In my opinion, that is a wise move. They are a limited market with little chance of big profits.
When AM first came out with the H2 I got a tour of the plant. After that tour I predicted its failure to my family. A family memeber worked on the line at AM General at the time and was not too happy with my prediction. Here's why I thought it would fail...
1. It was big on the outside, yet I could not fit in the driver's seat without having to duck down to see out of the windows.
2. I could not fit in the middle seat. My knees would jam against the back of the driver's seat.
3. It had lots of plastic trim. Seemed pretty cheap for the expensive price tag.
4. It was a gas guzzling pig at a time when fuel prices were going up.
5. There were much better trucks for the price.
6. I knew what my family member was being paid to work there. Way too much, in my opinion.
Yes, she worked hard. Much harder than me. She drove screws into pre-drilled holes all day and made more than most college graduates. That ain't right. She got bonuses for showing up for work. She averaged 6 weeks of vacation each year. When she was laid off, she collected unemployment and the company paid her the difference. She made the same amount when she wasn't working as she did when she was. She said it was the same at all the U.S. auto plants. Then I started reading about the UAW worker pool. Tens of thousands of peopl not working each year but still getting paid. At that point I predicted the failure of the entire U.S. auto industry. Sadly, my hunch was correct. The labor AND management priced themselves out of their own jobs.
