China likely to reject Hummer acquisition

[johnny smallblock]

Originally Posted by gmparts

Another fine example of why government should stay out of private industry!

HUMMER failed in a free market. No free market company wants it. And the Chinese govt doesn't even want it in their country, and you think it's a capitalism/fascism thing? It's a bad company with a bad reputation. No one wants it anywhere in the world.

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

Keep it American, please!!

I'm absolutely fascinated by this mentality. HUMMER is all of 15 years old, sells fewer than 5,000 vehicles a year and loses money. Let the Chinese have it!

[mike's 01ws6]

Who cares where Hummer goes, its no longer useful to GM, core brands are what they should concentrate on, not niche vehicles, isnt that why Pontiac is done.

[rdj92807]

The Chinese government has a lot more sense than we do. Hummer is a stupid, loser brand of vehicles which should be killed off for good.

It's pretty bad when the Chinese show more concern for fuel consumption and the environment than so many Americans do. So sad.

[TakuZaKyousei]

Originally Posted by johnny smallblock

HUMMER failed in a free market. No free market company wants it. And the Chinese govt doesn't even want it in their country, and you think it's a capitalism/fascism thing? It's a bad company with a bad reputation. No one wants it anywhere in the world.




I'm absolutely fascinated by this mentality. HUMMER is all of 15 years old, sells fewer than 5,000 vehicles a year and loses money. Let the Chinese have it!

BULLCRAP. Hummer this year has sold lil more than 5K, which I blame on a stale line-up of two vehicles and uncertainty of the economy. This trend is almost identical to the rest of the Large Indulgent SUV market. Normally Hummer has consistently been a damn good seller considering all the backlash of it's "presence."

[hawaiitahoe]

Originally Posted by TakuZaKyousei

BULLCRAP. Hummer this year has sold lil more than 5K, which I blame on a stale line-up of two vehicles and uncertainty of the economy. This trend is almost identical to the rest of the Large Indulgent SUV market. Normally Hummer has consistently been a damn good seller considering all the backlash of it's "presence."

TRUTH, MY DADS H2 IS THE ****!

HUMMER and CHINESE dont ever go together in the same sentence, hummer is very american. When people hear it, they think of the american "lifestyle" so to say and this is one of the many symbolic feats.

Just like KFC lol, LIONSGATE movie company, etc.

Im sure if your favorite american car brand got sold off to a foreign investor you'd be screaming keep it american especially if the brand were selling well.

Hummer has a sweet spot for many People including me

[meltdown2k]

Originally Posted by TakuZaKyousei

14/18 is what the H3 and H3T get.This is one that sells the most, why not talk about that aspect of the brand?

My wife has actually gotten 20/21 on the open road in her H3 for long stretches. We generally average 17-18 in mixed driving in it, so I'm quite pleased considering how it compares to others in its class. I know she was severely disappointed it was being sold to the Chinese.

I wonder if the other investor who made it to the final cut would still be interested if China nixed this deal?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

BEIJING (AP) -- China's planning agency is likely to reject a Chinese company's bid to acquire General Motors Corp.'s Hummer unit, in part because its gas-guzzling vehicles conflict with Beijing's conservation goals, state radio reported.

So.... The new Hummer could only produce gas-guzzling vehicles?!?! These people don't believe in innovation or vision at all?

What a defeatist outlook... Maybe China really IS becoming westernized. Because with attitudes like that, you'd think they were american.

The National Development and Reform Commission is also likely to say Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Corp., a maker of construction machinery, lacks expertise to run Hummer, China National Radio said late Thursday. It cited no source.

Wow... Do they even know the owners of the company, or is that just a 'general assumption'?

Auto industry analysts questioned how Tengzhong, which makes construction vehicles such as cement mixers and tow trucks, could succeed with Hummer, known as "Han Ma," or Bold Horse, in China.

Doesn't seem like that big of a jump to me... In fact, it reminds me a lot of International (Navistar) except in reverse.

GM said the planned sale would save some 3,000 jobs in the United States. Tengzhong said it would invest in research to create more fuel-efficient Hummers and would keep Hummer's headquarters and manufacturing in the United States.

Maybe this is the REAL reason that China is sour on the deal.

Communist authorities are encouraging companies to expand abroad to diversify the economy but have cautioned against being too hasty or ambitious.

See above statement... THEY (the chinese government) know that they have a real opportunity to become the premier world leader now. They also know that, in the eyes of most of the world, China=cheap. Therefore, they don't want a rogue company to overstep it's ability and ruin their chances of reinventing their image around the world. Because one failed Chinese company, especially on this continent and in this HIGHLY visible market would damage China's reputation even more.

*** I think GM should just keep Hummer and sell it along side Cadillac as a premier truck division. Use the HX as a new start to more efficient and more classy models and target LR. Then the GM car buyer could channel like this: Chevrolet-Buick-Cadillac and the GM truck buyer could channel: Chevrolet-GMC-Hummer.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Originally Posted by Rumblebuffin

Man, every time Hummer is mentioned, there is always the "9-10 mpg" CLAIM! This is getting annoying! The Hummer H2 gets that kind of mileage if the driver floors the gas pedal. Based on real-world testing, I've seen mileage claims of 12-14 for the H2 which is pretty darn good considering my mom's old 4Runner got 13 average with only 80 hp! And I DOUBT any Hummers even have a guzzler label by the EPA as well!

Would Raser Technologies still be interested in Hummer?

You can thank the media for that.

Hummer took off, and like any other GM brand with an ounce of success, the haters had to find some stereotype to attach to it.

I always though the MPG comments were lame since the Land Cruiser gets around the same mileage according to the EPA (Of course, everyone in the media seems to overlook that)

I also love the "H3 is HUGE" arguments. I took a picture a while back of a Pilot parked next to an H3. They were roughly the SAME size. Funny no one ever accuses Pilot drivers of "destroying the world"

HUMMER failed in a free market. No free market company wants it. And the Chinese govt doesn't even want it in their country, and you think it's a capitalism/fascism thing? It's a bad company with a bad reputation. No one wants it anywhere in the world.

Umm, what?

Hummer was GM's most profitable brand for a few years. By NO means is it/was it a failure. And FWIW, there is no such thing as a free market.

It's pretty bad when the Chinese show more concern for fuel consumption and the environment than so many Americans do. So sad.

1) That's not the real issue. It's merely propaganda so that China looks good. and 2) Who's to say that I couldn't (in the future) drive a Hummer and be VERY concerned about the environment?

Even now, some studies have shown that the OVER ALL impact of an H3 on the environment is less significant than that of the Prius. Batteries a BAD news, folks. It's takes a lot of energy to mine for the materials and then they're horrible for the environment once they're disposed of.

BULLCRAP. Hummer this year has sold lil more than 5K, which I blame on a stale line-up of two vehicles and uncertainty of the economy. This trend is almost identical to the rest of the Large Indulgent SUV market. Normally Hummer has consistently been a damn good seller considering all the backlash of it's "presence."

While I agree with your point, the volume argument that these people try to present against Hummer is null and void. The fact of the matter is that (as long as Hummer is over it's break even point) the vehicles sell for HUGE margins. H3 buyers are essentially buying a GMC Canyon with a bunch of trim for a lot more money. And the margins were even higher with the H2 program. And considering that the H2 is still on GMT800 (GMT900 debuted with the latest round of trucks) I'm willing to bet that it costs GM next to nothing to produce it.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by H3AlphaGuy

- The redesign could have been a great way to work on clean diesel tech that it now touted by VW / Audi, etc. on TV right now, as well as use innovative materials to keep a stiff frame without all of the weight. As of now Hummer in the US only sells 150+- a month. 85% of all sales are H3 / H3T so the 9MPG argument just doesn't fly as well anymore.

Yep. And you could even add the 'pie in the sky' possibility of a hydraulic hybrid which could be unbelievably useful for off road as well as on road.

Originally Posted by FUTURE_OF_GM

So.... The new Hummer could only produce gas-guzzling vehicles?!?! These people don't believe in innovation or vision at all?

What a defeatist outlook... Maybe China really IS becoming westernized. Because with attitudes like that, you'd think they were american.

Wow... Do they even know the owners of the company, or is that just a 'general assumption'? < Also...... the 'ole "unnamed source" trick ........ >


Doesn't seem like that big of a jump to me... In fact, it reminds me a lot of International (Navistar) except in reverse.


Maybe this is the REAL reason that China is sour on the deal.


See above statement... THEY (the chinese government) know that they have a real opportunity to become the premier world leader now. They also know that, in the eyes of most of the world, China=cheap.

Therefore, they don't want a rogue company to overstep it's ability and ruin their chances of reinventing their image around the world. Because one failed Chinese company, especially on this continent and in this HIGHLY visible market would damage China's reputation even more.

*** I think GM should just keep Hummer and sell it along side Cadillac as a premier truck division. Use the HX as a new start to more efficient and more classy models and target LR. Then the GM car buyer could channel like this: Chevrolet-Buick-Cadillac and the GM truck buyer could channel: Chevrolet-GMC-Hummer.

Outstanding.

Exactly right.

Ditto all the rest of your following post.

Hummer got labeled.

[moman]

Hummer is a perfect example (worth of numerous marketing case studies) of what happens when you combine a niche brand with a product (SUV) fad and chase the money. Hummer made billions for GM but GM kept the game going for far too long and now is stuck with a brand they cannot sell that is ruined in the US except that will forever be the face of the "old GM".

It would be interesting to see if people selling the Hummers are moving into other GM vehicles (which I doubt). In hindsight, the Hummer did nothing for GM except help land it in bankruptcy.

[col_ccc]

I haveto agree that the media has killed Hummer based on its "terrible fuel milage". It is comparible to foreign models and they get a free ride. Why not finish the baby Duramax 4.5 and throw that as a powertrain.

[chinamonty]

Originally Posted by gmparts

I'm refering to the possibility of China nixing the sale, not the taskforce. My point was, if a private enterprise wants to buy Hummer it should be their call, not Chairman Mao

Why shouldn't a Government step in and say we don not approve of the fuel consumption. Isn't that what CAFE will do? You may also find that the buyer is a state owned enterprise (I haven't checked).
Anyway China does not have Private Enterprise in the sense that the US or Australia has so a Communist or even Socialist Government will always have to approve of such large scale investments. The same thing happens everywhere. Chinalco was trying to buy a share of Rio Tinto but the Australian Government referred it to the Foreign Investment Review Board. It works with Governments from both sides of the transaction.
I don't think they need to buy Hummer anyway even though they would be a suitable vehicle for some remote parts of China.

[F14CRAZY]

Originally Posted by rdj92807

The Chinese government has a lot more sense than we do. Hummer is a stupid, loser brand of vehicles which should be killed off for good.

It's pretty bad when the Chinese show more concern for fuel consumption and the environment than so many Americans do. So sad.

China? Concern for the environment?

[chinamonty]

In China it very much matters where you are as to whether the environment is an issue. They do take a lot better care in some areas than people would imagine. Of course there are horror places as well.

[TriShield]

Amazing how HUMMER was GM's strongest, most unique and most profitable brand for a few years and they squandered all of it virtually overnight last year.

Now they're trying to humiliate it and owners/fans by selling it to China. I hope the sale is blocked and that GM simply puts it out of it's misery like they did Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Leave it with some shred of dignity.