AM General
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Image:AMGen.gif AM General is a heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, best known for the civilian Hummer and military HMMWV. Its only assembly plant is in Mishawaka, Indiana.
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Corporate history
AM General's roots (and its location in South Bend) lie with the "General Products Division" of Studebaker, which, along with its substantial defence contracts, was acquired by Kaiser Industries after Studebaker left the auto industry in 1966. American Motors became the owner when it purchased the Jeep Corporation from Kaiser in 1970, and Kaiser left the auto business. It then became an independent company in 1982 when controlling interest in AMC was purchased by France's Renault. US Government regulations forbade ownership of defense contractors by foreign governments, and Renault was partially owned by the French government.
AM General produced buses, large trucks, and Jeeps for industrial, military, and government use. In the late 1970s, it developed the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Hum-Vee) for military use as a heavy-duty replacement for the jeep. The vehicle later became available in a civilian version sold under the Hummer brand name. Another familiar product from the AM General line was the DJ-5 series—a government version of the Jeep CJ-5—used in huge numbers as a right-hand drive vehicle by the United States Postal Service.
AM General, which remains an independent company and government and military contractor, sold the rights to the Hummer name to General Motors in 1999 but continues to build the vehicles for GM. GM was sued early in 2003 by DaimlerChrysler, owners of the Jeep brand, for the Hummer's resemblance to the Jeep. The lawsuit was dismissed due to the past corporate history involving AMG and Jeep.
On August 20, 2004, it was announced that Ronald Perelman's MacAndrews and Forbes Holdings company would form a joint venture with AM General's current owner, Renco Group, to give Perelman 70% ownership of AM General. The deal reportedly cost close to US$1,000,000,000.
Early Origins
The origins of AM General can be traced to 1903, when the Standard Wheel Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, expanded its bicycle operation to include the Overland Automotive Division to manufacture motor vehicles, and the Overland "Runabout" was introduced.
In 1908, John North Willys purchased the Overland Automotive Company, which by then was located in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1912 the Willys-Overland Company was formed and, in addition to the Runabout, began producing the Willys-Knight series automobile and the popular "Whippet" In 1936, the company became Willys-Overland Motors, Inc.
Wide-ranging pedigree
In the 1940's, Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. designed and manufactured America's first four-wheel drive 1/4-ton tactical utility truck — the famous "Jeep." After the war, Willys-Overland began to explore peacetime uses for the popular 4x4 Jeep vehicle.
In 1953, the facilities, plants and other physical assets of Willys-Overland were purchased by the Henry J. Kaiser interests and named Willys Motors, Inc.
In 1960, the company began its first civilian government program by successfully winning a bid to develop and produce a 1/2-ton delivery van for the U.S. Post Office. More than 14,000 of these 1/2-ton vehicles were eventually produced.
In 1963, Willys Motors was renamed the Kaiser Jeep Corporation.
1964 marked a significant milestone in the company's history when the Kaiser Jeep Corporation purchased the Studebaker Corporation manufacturing facilities on Chippewa Avenue in South Bend, Indiana. Over the next 25 years, the Chippewa facility was to produce nearly 112,000 5-ton and 150,000 21/2-ton trucks for the armed forces of the free world.
Kaiser Jeep Corporation formed a special division devoted exclusively to the research, development and production of government vehicles. The Defense and Government Products Division was a direct organizational forerunner of AM General.
In 1967, the company was awarded a contract by the U.S. Post Office for the production of the 1/4-ton DJ-5 Dispatcher. The U.S. Postal Service, police departments, utility companies and small package delivery firms used this rugged and durable delivery vehicle. Over 150,000 Dispatchers were produced.
In 1970, American Motors Corporation purchased the Kaiser Jeep Corporation from Kaiser Industries.
AM General incorporates
On April 1, 1971, AM General Corporation was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Motors Corporation and separate from the Jeep Corporation. This move was initiated to give independent status to AM General to fulfill the special transportation requirements of the U.S. Government and pursue further diversification.
Responding to the need for increased mobility in the military, AM General developed and patented the Central Tire Inflation System (CTI) to be used on the M809 and M939 5-ton trucks. The CTI featured driver-activated dashboard controls that altered tire pressure to suit terrain conditions while the vehicle was in motion. The CTI improved vehicle-towing capability and contributed to longer vehicle life and lower life-cycle costs.
HMMWV Background
In 1979, AM General 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 and other light tactical vehicles. The U.S. 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 an initial $1.2 billion contract to produce 55,000 Humvees to be delivered in five basic models and 15 different configurations over a five-year period.
Production began at the Mishawaka, Indiana assembly plant in the fall of 1984 and the first deliveries were made in early 1985. The total production by mid-1991 was more than 72,000 vehicles including international sales.
By March of 1995 about 100,000 HMMWVs had been built. Since 1991, an aditionsal 20,000 HMMWVs were ordered by international governments. To date, more than 190,000 units have been produced.
Late 2000, AM General was awarded another production contract for 2,962 trucks in the M998A2 series. The contract contained six single-year options running to fiscal year 2007.
The Humvee offers exceptional speed, mobility and agility and is built upon a multi-purpose platform, which will accommodate a broad range of configurations. Humvees feature full-time four-wheel drive, independent suspension, steep approach and departure angles, 60 percent gradeability and 16 inches of ground clearance. Humvees are currently in use by the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy at locations throughout the United States and overseas.
In 1983, the LTV Corporation bought AM General from American Motors Corporation and established it as a wholly owned subsidiary of the LTV Aerospace and Defense Company.
In 1984, the AM General headquarters moved from the American Motors AMTEK Building in Southfield, Michigan to Livonia, Michigan, and two years later to South Bend, Indiana, where the primary manufacturing operations were located.
Other Military Vehicles
Along with the HMMWV, AM General also produces the LSSV (Light Service and Support Vehicle). The LSSV is a non-tactical vehicle for base operations support.
The LSSV is a GM-built Silverado 2500 HD and is powered by a Duramax® 6.6 liter turbo diesel engine. The LSSV is available in a crew cab or standard cab. It can also be equipped with the Enhanced Mobility Package which adds underbody protection, a tire pressure monitoring system, and other upgrades.
Trademarks
Humvee is a registered trademark of AM General LLC. HUMMER, H1, H2 and H3 are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.