| Hummer
In 1979, AM General Corporation, formerly the military and government vehicle division of American Motors, began preliminary design work on the M998 Series "High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle" (HMMWV, pronounced Humvee); a 1.25-ton truck intended to replace the M151 MUTT (the Jeep). The US Army awarded AM General a prototype contract in 1981 and the development and operational testing was conducted over a five-month period in 1982. In March 1983, AM General won the original contract to produce Humvees for the US Army. On January 2, 1985, AM General rolled the first HMMWV (aka. HUMMER) off the assembly line of their new South Bend facility. The Humvee gained publicity in the news as a dependable workhorse for the troops during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. In April 1992, The Renco Group, Inc. of New York City purchased AM General Corporation from LTV. In 1992, AM General began production of a civilian version of the Humvee, called the HUMMER. Known as "the world's most serious 4x4," the truck was a hit with Hollywood stars and in commercial service for its off-road performance and durability under drastic conditions. And it became "bling". In December 1999, AM General and General Motors Corporation finalized a contract to jointly pursue products, marketing and distribution opportunities for HUMMER. General Motors acquired the exclusive ownership of the HUMMER brand name worldwide. The original Hummer was renamed the H1 and AM General started producing a smaller version of the sports utility truck, the H2, designed by GM. Humvee is a registered trademark of AM General LLC. HUMMER, H1, H2 and H3 are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
http://www.hummer.com
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