2010 marks the last year the Hummer will be made by makers General Motors. While the product was to be sold by GM to Chinese auto maker Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company in 2009, the deal fell through by February 2010. At this point, GM decided to retire the brand.

What is the history of the Hummer? Hummers were originally built by AM General Corporation, a company formerly owned by AMC-Jeep's General Products Division. The vehicles were created under a contract for the United States Armed Forces. The first model, the Hum-Vee, was built with a variety of military-based equipment. After the U.S. Military received their quota, they adapted some of the models into vehicles. At this point, AM General decided to sell a civilian version of the Hum-Vee.

Hum-Vee received its largest amount of publicity during Desert Storm. By 1992, the civilian version called the M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Hum-Vee) was released under the name Hummer.

By 1998, AM General sold the brand name to General Motors, who continued to manufacture the vehicles. GM quickly introduced two new models, the H2 and H3. AM General continued to build the H1 until it was discontinued in 2006. The H2 and H3 would be smaller versions, especially the H3, which was built in Shreveport, LA alongside the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups. The H3 shares the GMT-355 platform with these vehicles.

The H1 was Hummer's first car in the Hummer Range. It was built for its high mobility and multipurpose usage. The vehicle was originally designed for strict military usage and its massive four-wheel drive capacity. It boasted 16 inches of ground clearance as well as its super-aggressive approach and departure angles. The Humvee could climb over a 22-inch high obstacle and handle a 60 percent grade as well as wade through up to 30 inches of water.  The H1 came with a convertible-like soft top, a four-door hard top pickup truck and a wagon body version. Lesser-known variants included a two-door pickup truck and a four-door slantback. The vehicle came with five engine types and three automatic transmission types.

The H2 was built as a large truck but slimmer than the H1. It was slightly longer and taller with room for six passengers. The rearmost part of the H2 was modified to a pickup truck bed for the 2005 H2 SUT. The H2 shares a platform with the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. The H2's frame is made up of three sections - the front uses a modified GM 2500-Series utility frame, the mid-section is new and completely boxed and the rear section uses a modified GM 1500-Series frame which is upgraded for the 8,600 lb gross weight vehicle. The H2 comes with a 6.0 L V8 and a 6.2 L V8.

The H3 is the smallest of Hummer models and is available either as a traditional midsized SUV or a midsized pickup known as the H3T.  The H3 was launched with a 3.5 liter straight-5 cylinder L52 engine that produced 220 hp and 225 ft.-lbf of torque. In 2007 the engine was replaced by a 3.7 liter LLR that produced 242 hp and 242 ft-lbf of torque. In 2009 this was revised to 239 hp and 241 ft-lbf.  

Hummers were not only popular in America. By 2006, the Hummer began to expand through importers and distributors in 33 countries. The H3, built in South Africa for international markets were first built with left-hand drive but then right-hand drive versions were added for exports to Australia and other markets. Meanwhile the H2 was being assembled in Kaliningrad, Russia by Avtotor.

Despite it's worldwide popularity, the brand would not hold up. During a shareholders meeting in June, 2008, GM's CEO announced that the product either had to be sold or completely redesigned or discontinued. There was a decreasing demand for large SUV's due to the higher prices of fuel. Several parties originally approached GM for the purchase of the Hummer brand but nothing went through. The problems Hummer suffered included size and fuel economy.

The H1 and H2 caused parking problems due to their size as well as problems fitting into standard sized garages. Their size also posed a threat to smaller vehicles. Ecologically, they also received a lot of criticism. The H2 was singled out and attacked as a symbol of ecological irresponsibility.  Last, the Hummer had poor fuel economy. Compared to other heavy passenger vehicles, Hummers without the alternate Duramax V8 engine had terrible fuel economy. The H2 averages about 14 mpg on highways and 10 mpg in the city and has a curb weight of over 6,000 lbs.

In June 2009, GM announced it would file for bankruptcy and during this time, it revealed that the Hummer brand would be discontinued. On April 7, 2010, GM officially said was shutting down the Hummer SUV brand and offering rich rebates in a bid to move the remaining 2,200 vehicles.

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The winner of the auction will choose from either a new Hummer H3 Luxury, HSV Clubsport R8 or an FPV GT. A large portion of the proceeds ($20,000.00) will go directly to World Wildlife Fund.

The founder of dreamcarbids.com.au Rohan Croucher says, “I started this business to give people the chance to ‘Live the Dream’ of owning the car of their dreams while reducing our carbon footprint and saving the worlds endangered wildlife by donating to the World Wildlife Fund ”. Rohan also states, “I know all to well the hardship people face around Australia with rising interest rates and growing inflation. With all this pressure, not many people can just go out and buy the car of their dreams”.

That’s where dreamcarbids.com.au steps in. For a small admin fee of $15.00 per bid ($2.00 of which goes to WWF), anyone over 18 and living in Australia, USA, New Zealand or Canada, can place a bid from one cent to $100.00 for the Car. At the end of the auction, whoever has the Lowest Unique Bid will be the winner. This bid is one that a single person has chosen, for instance; if five people choose $1.55, one person chooses $1.56 and two choose $1.57, the person who chose $1.56 is the winner.

Lowest Unique Bid Auctions are gaining popularity in Australia as the odds of winning are quite high if you compare it to Raffles or Lotto. For this particular auction the odds are 1:10,000, of course these odds are even lower if an individual places more than one bid.

In the future dreamcarbids.com.au aims at having prestige cars for auction such as a BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne or even a Porsche 911. Rohan finished by saying, “My aim is to make as many people happy as I possibly can, I can’t wait to see the winners face light up when I hand the keys over for their new Dream Car. More importantly I know we all can’t wait to see WWF further their efforts in saving the earth and curing it's problems. I hope every Australian Adult saves their lunch money for one day, and has a bid. The more auctions we run the more money we can give to WWF, and who knows you just may be the one who wins”.

Anyone over 18 can bid at: www.dreamcarbids.com.au

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General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz earlier introduced a prototype right-hand-drive HUMMER H3. The prototype version of the vehicle was launched during the opening ceremony of the new HUMMER Bauer Millett facility in Manchester.

“HUMMER’s iconic design and unparalleled off-road capabilities appeal to a wide audience globally. We are determined to build upon the brand’s unique recognition in Europe and especially here in the UK,” said Lutz. The new right-hand-drive H3 will be assembled at GM’s Struandale plants which are located in South Africa, Japan and Australia.

HUMMER, a sport utility vehicles brand, was acquired by GM in late 1999. The product lines of the company are based on the Humvee or the military High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. The HUMMER is one of the bigger SUVs with proportionate fuel consumption.

The H3 debuted in North America in May 2005. Since then, the vehicle has helped the company become one of the fastest-growing truck brands in America by the end of the previous year. With its smaller package, the new H3 is made more accessible to more truck aficionados. Nonetheless, the package is meticulously designed so as not to compromise the distinct qualities of HUMMER, which is famed for its unique, iconic design and unmatched off-road performance.

Since its inception in the American market, HUMMER has showcased significant growth worldwide. In 2006, the sales of the company increased by about 34 percent globally with 82,000 vehicles sold. The budding performance of the automaker is expected to be pushed a little further by the new HUMMER H3.

The previous generations of the HUMMER H3 have been assembled in the North American facility of GM in Shreveport, Louisiana. However, the new international H3, which is primarily intended for most markets outside of North America, will be built at the Struandale Assembly Facility of GM in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The automaker has expended over $100 million to prepare for production of the new vehicle.

The HUMMER H3 is designed to respond to premium daily driving needs while offering the legendary performance. The vehicle is equipped with a 3.7-litre engine with the choice of a manual or automatic transmission and a full-time four-wheel-drive system. To bolster the maximum strength of the HUMMER H3, it is given an efficient HUMMER cold air intake. The distinct HUMMER capability is boosted by more compact dimensions. Compared to its predecessors, the HUMMER H3 is 39 mm shorter, 171 mm lower and 73 mm narrower. Hence, the vehicle could also be used to navigate city traffic but retains the climbing and crawling off-road performance.

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Extreme H1 Hummer Action. Hummer off road adventure tours. Proformance Hummer Adventures Lancelin Perth Western Australia. Hummer Hire and Rental. Hummer Racing Australia

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As figureheads of the most visible segment of criminal justice, today’s police administrators are forced to tackle challenges never faced by their predecessors. Heightened local and global threats, advanced technologies, and increased demands for procedural transparency require new levels of flexibility, innovative thinking, and the ability to foster and maintain relationships within the community. It is more crucial than ever to recruit and retain capable leaders to guide law enforcement agencies at this pivotal time in history.

Covering areas such as leadership in policing, use of force, and understanding how the law shapes police practice, Handbook of Police Administration examines the key topics that must be considered by law enforcement professionals. Recognizing that police leaders need the skills and traits of a politician, accountant, attorney, field lieutenant, and futurist, the authors cover a variety of contemporary issues surrounding police administration and management. Divided into five thematic sections, it considers the legal aspects of overseeing a public sector organization, as well as how research, technology, and training can assist modern police leaders in performing their duties more effectively and efficiently. The book covers problematic issues such as officers accepting gratuities, undercover work, and the time criteria required for promotional consideration. It concludes with a chapter comparing administrative issues in Australia with many of the subjects previously addressed with regard to U.S. protocol.

Using a range of perspective, differing viewpoints, and controversial issues, Handbook of Police Administration provides a springboard to stimulate discussion at the cutting-edge of debate in the dynamic field of policing.

Handbook of Police Administration (Public Administration and Public Policy)

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