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In 1998 General Motors purchased the brand name and marketed three vehicles: the original Hummer H1, based on the military High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee), and the Hummer H2 and the Hummer H3 models that were based on other, smaller civilian-market GM platforms. The business viability of the Hummer brand was under review by GM management since 2008. The brand was not transferred to Motors Liquidation Company as part of the GM bankruptcy in 2009; instead, it was retained by GM in order to investigate selling the brand. Chinese automaker Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company announced in 2009 that it would acquire the Hummer brand, pending government approvals. However, the Chinese industrial equipment maker withdrew its bid after failing to win approval from Chinese regulators. According to Reuters, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China rejected the deal on February 24, 2010, but a spokesperson for ministry denies that it rejected the application that has been stalled for eight months. At the end of February 2010, General Motors announced it would begin dismantling the Hummer brand. Two days later, the automaker announced it had been approached with new offers for the brand after the deal with Sichuan Tengzhong could not be completed. By April 2010, any sale of the brand became unlikely as inventory was depleted and Hummer dealerships began shutting down. After filling a rental car fleet order, the last Hummer H3 rolled off line at Shreveport on May 24, 2010. |
