History of Hummer

Pre 1990s

AM General initiated the first design of the Humvee in 1979. The U.S. military contracted with AM General in 1981, and in 1982 AM General went through a five-month testing and developing period. The next year, in March, AM General won a $1.2 billion contract to make 55,000 Humvees in five different models and 15 different configurations. The military then increased their order, asking for 15,000 more Humvees.

One year later, in 1984, AM General's headquarters shifted to South Bend, Indiana, where its primary manufacturing was located. Finally, in 1985, the first Humvee was generated at South Bend. 1989 saw the U.S. Military give AM General a multi-year contract, which began the next year.

In 1992, AM General started to sell a civilian version of the Humvee, brand named Hummer. In 1994, the military gave AM General another contract. In 1998, AM General sold the brand name to General Motors. AM General produced the Hummers and GM marketed them.

The U.S. Military gave GM another contract in 2000, in which up to 31,474 additional Humvees were to be made through 2007.
GM started to produce new models in 2002 and in 2006. In June 2004, GM started to assemble the 2002 model in Kaliningrad, Russia, via Avtotor. In 2006, the original Hummer was discontinued, replaced by a newer version, and the Hummer brand name began to be marketed worldwide. In October of that year, GM started to produce the 2006 model in its plant at Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

The CEO of GM, Rick Wagoner, stated in 2008 that there was a possibility of selling, discontinuing or redesigning the Hummer production line. After this statement, automakers such as Mahindra & Mahindra expressed interest in purchasing Hummer.

As of 2009, there are approximately 300 dealers in 34 countries that market Hummers. 174 of these dealers are in the U.S.
In the 2006, 2007 and 2009, Dakar Rally a modified two-wheel drive Hummer was raced by Robby Gordon.
Hummers can be used effectively in emergency situations. There is a volunteer program called HOPE, which stands for Hummer Owners Prepared for Emergencies, which works with the Red Cross. In support of HOPE, the GM Foundation contributed $4 million to the American Red Cross.