R.I.P. to the Hummer

[marmar]

By Sharon Terlep
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES


DETROIT (Dow Jones)--General Motors Co.'s Hummer line of beefy SUVs is headed for extinction after a deal to sell the brand to a Chinese manufacturer fell apart.

Would-be buyer Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. said Wednesday it failed to win approval from Chinese regulators for its $150 million bid.

GM said it will begin winding down Hummer, a brand that until a couple of years ago was one the auto maker's biggest money makers.

The Hummer sale is the latest deal to fall apart for GM as the company works to shed brands around the globe. The auto maker's efforts to sell its Saturn brand unexpectedly collapsed last year; later the company reversed plans to sell its Opel European unit after months of intense negotiations failed to produce a favorable deal.

Tengzhong's efforts to get clearance to buy Hummer became entangled in China's complicated regulatory system, according to people familiar with the situation. On Wednesday, China's Assistant Commerce Minister Wang Chao said his ministry has never received an application from Tengzhong. The company, however, said it tried and failed to obtain approval. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100224-716918.html?mod=WSJ_Deals_LEFTLatestHeadlines

[Bluebear]

1. Winding down hummer.

Hm.

[ThomCat]

2. It was a big money maker because Bush made sure there were

big tax breaks for buying it. :eyes:

[dysfunctional press]

20. it wasn't bush who made sure- it was congress.

actually, it was whichever lobbyist(s) wrote the legislation for the congressman who introduced the vehicle parameters that would qualify for the tax cuts- originally intended for farmers and small businesses to buy work-related vehicles.

[ThomCat]

28. Good point

[Robb]

3. As a guy who knows little about engines and drivetrains and such

...I could still see the appeal of the original one, the military version, to the right kind of collector or serious 4WD road enthusiast. Someone told me one of the design specs was to be able to drive over a four-foot concrete wall.

But alas, not much use in the real world except to bug the shit out of other drivers and be generally unsafe. And the new ones apparently were garbage, from an engineering standpoint.

[NYC_SKP]

16. The original spec HMMWV was as awesome as it's predecessor, the Willy MB/Ford GPW.

The MB/GPW for me was more impressive given the time and the spec.

Both were awesome, both quite different with the HMMWV coming from unlimited tech and funding, the MB being a statement of efficiency.

I owned a 41 Ford GPW.

[appal_jack]

39. awesome rig NYC_SKP! n/t

[saltpoint]

4. Can't say I'll miss the damn things.

[blue sky at night]

5. I have hated them always...

felt like giving the finger to anyone who would drive the god-damned things, good riddance!

[Swamp Rat]

6. When Dick Cheney dies, we should bury him in a Hummer.

On Devil's Island. :D

[saltpoint]

8. I'm for it.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[marmar]

9. He requested to be buried here:

[BrklynLiberal]

12. ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!

[saltpoint]

19. !!

LOL

But is it big enough for his ego?

[Liberal In Texas]

7. Huh, a country the regulates. Who would have thought. n/t

[baldguy]

10. Good riddance.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. ....My favorite Haiku

:nopity:



Haiku by Tim
Hulking black Hummer
Purchased in rank atonement
small peckered driver

[we can do it]

13. What Are the Tiny Penis Big Egos Going To Buy Now?

[saltpoint]

24. Glenn Beck bobble-head dolls.

[DainBramaged]

29. Toyota Tacomas, Mercedes GLK, Nissan Titans

you really think the only gas guzzler in that size in the entire world was the Hummer?

[we can do it]

40. No But It Was the Most Obnoxious

[DainBramaged]

41. Really? Even though these vehicles get identical OR LESS MPG than the Hummer?

You folks need to be consistent and condemn ALL of these huge pieces of shit, not just GM products.

[we can do it]

42. Well Lets See, They Run Up On Your Ass When You Are Stopped or In Traffic

with brush hogs, huge ass wheels, extra idiot lights all over....big honkin steps added on - don't often see the others you mentioned trying to smash or bully everyone on the road - only to block it the first time they need to turn the oversized POS.

[DainBramaged]

43. No, as with most here, you don't see trhe japanese shitboxes

nor care, all you and so many others know is Hummer bad, japanese good.

Cya.../.

[we can do it]

44. call the Wambulance - its big, but still more agile than a Hummer

call the Wambulance - its big, but still more agile than a Hummer

[dhill926]

14. Rust in Peace.............n/t

[Bluebear]

23. FTW!

[Maru Kitteh]

15. DIE you fugly, greedy, symbol of the worst attributes of countrymen and country

I'll forever equate those things with the era of Dumbya.

[Edwin Edwards Fan]

17. Which ones?

Are they getting rid of the H2 or H3 vehicles? The have a plant in Shreveport,La

[gristy]

18. Nearly 51,000 people have been photographed giving a finger to a Hummer

http://www.fuh2.com/submissions.php?query=&page=0&limit=10

I guess all good things have to come to an end. Sigh.

[TheCowsCameHome]

21. Yeah, R.I.P. Rot In Pieces.

The iron phallus is dead.

[Throd]

22. So which car (and it's drivers) are we supposed to hate now?

[femrap]

25. How about the

Escalade?

[eppur_se_muova]

37. Escalades with their blindingly bright headlights? You bet.

"Fuck the guy going the other way, I want daylight when I drive." These things are a road hazard.

[CoffeeCat]

26. I'm not sure, but I think people hate my car...

I drive a Range Rover. I do get some eye rolls.

[proteus_lives]

27. I drive a Jeep Liberty. Does anyone hate those?

[CoffeeCat]

31. Welllll....technically...

...you do drive an SUV. So yes, you are hated.

;)

[proteus_lives]

32. It's an SUV?

Huh, learn something new everyday. ;-)

[nonconformist]

30. Toyota FJ Cruiser.

[CoffeeCat]

35. Look at this car...you gotta hate this one!

The Exorbitant...it comes with a Ford Explorer inside. Check it out!

http://www.bbspot.com/News/2000/6/exorbitant.html

[cherokeeprogressive]

33. I'm shocked. Shocked I say.

The obsession with penis size didn't make itself evident until the THIRTEENTH post. Absolutely shocking.

[Canuckistanian]

34. Let's all have a minute of silence

Yeah, right.

[Grand Taurean]

36. Hallelujah!

The Hummer was one of the prominent symbols of Bush's era of excess and arrogance.

[BootinUp]

38. Prepare for global cooling! nt

[LeftinOH]

45. I would like to see a bunch of Hummers used this way:

-and install it in front of General Motors' global headquarters.