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AM General's new CEO has strong military roots

AM General has a new president and chief executive officer. Current CEO Charlie Hall is retiring from the company. In his place, the defense and automotive manufacturer has named industry veteran Andy Hove. Though primarily a defense contractor, AM General has produced a number of civilian vehicles as well. The company is perhaps best known for the Hummer (or Humvee in military parlance) and continued producing both the original H1 and the subsequent H2 after selling the brand to General Motors. Even after GM shut down the brand, AM General continued producing Humvees for military use and as a civilian kit. The company is also behind Mobility Ventures, which produces purpose-built wheelchair-accessible vehicles, assembles the R-Class for Mercedes-Benz, and has been linked to potential commercial van and pickup truck assembly for GM as well. Based in South Bend, IN, AM General shares its roots with the Jeep brand. It was split off from American Motors Corporation after the latter was bought by Renault and then by Chrysler. Today it's owned by New York-based investment firms Renco Group and MacAndrews & Forbes. A former Army officer, Hove arrives at the company with considerable experience in the defense industry, particularly in vehicle manufacturing. He has previously served as president of HDT Global and before that of Oshkosh Defense. Prior to that he headed up the Bradley tank program for BAE Systems, where he increased sales from $250 million to $2 billion within five years. His departing predecessor Charlie Hall was named CEO in 2011, assuming day-to-day responsibility for the company's operations from the suitably named chairman James Armour. Related Video: AM General Announces Vehicle Manufacturing Industry Leader Andy Hove To Serve As Chief Executive Officer Hove Succeeds Retiring CEO Charlie Hall SOUTH BEND, Ind., Dec 8, 2015 – AM General, the global leader in light tactical vehicles, today announced that Andy Hove will serve as the company's new Chief Executive Officer and President, succeeding Charlie Hall who is retiring. Hove brings to AM General a track record of excellence at a diverse array of defense and commercial companies in the United States and around the world. Hove most recently served as the President and CEO of HDT Global where he rapidly proved the quality of his leadership in helping transform the company.

Automakers tussle over owners of 'orphan' makes

When General Motors put down several of its brands in recent years, it also let loose thousands of brand-loyal customers who will eventually need another car.
R.L. Polk Associates estimates there are more than 18 million cars from 16 discontinued makes on the road today. Those "orphan owners" have sales-hungry competitors seeing dollar signs. GM is offering Saturn owners $1,000 cash toward a Chevy Cruze, Cadillac CTS or a GMC Acadia. Ford is giving its Mercury lease customers a chance to get out of their contracts with no early-termination penalty and offering to waive six remaining payments if they drive off in a Ford or Lincoln.
Edmunds.com research shows the efforts are paying off somewhat for GM, with 39 percent of Pontiac owners, 37 percent of Hummer owners and 31 percent of Saturn owners taking delivery of another GM-branded vehicle. But that leaves as much as 69 percent of owners going elsewhere. Ford, Honda and Toyota seem to be attracting many former GM owners.

Mil-Spec M1-R First Drive Review | The ultimate Hummer H1 gets better

In 2018, we got our first introduction to Mil-Spec, a company that sought to do to Hummer H1s what other resto-mod companies like Singer and Icon have done to other classic cars. Its initial run of hopped-up Hummers showed quite a bit of promise with an array of mechanical upgrades, including a particularly potent and entertaining diesel engine, plus major improvements to interior livability and luxury. As good as the initial trucks were, Mil-Spec wanted to do even better. It focused on details such as better materials and ergonomics for what it’s calling the second-generation of restored H1s. And all those upgrades are on display in the M1-R, which takes the second-gen M1 and adds some pretty extreme customer-requested modifications. @autoblog WhatÂ’s that? Oh nothing, just a Mil-Spec M1-R rolling on by ##autoblog ##hummer ##m1r ##custom ##fyp ? original sound - Autoblog As with all Mil-Spec Hummers, the M1-R received a comprehensive restoration, taking the body and frame down to bare metal. It was recoated in a durable bedliner-style material made with bits of Kevlar. This particular one was given a tint to make it look like one of the factory H1 colors, Competition Yellow. Steel off-road bumpers, a front brush guard, rear tubular tire rack, fender flares and door panels finished in plain black add contrast and help give it a more rough-and-tumble look. The simple and rugged 20-inch Black Rhino wheels look right at home on the truck, too, especially wrapped in the 38-inch off-road tries. Most of the improvements in the second-gen M1 are found within the cabin. As before, every upholstered surface is made of leather, in this case with diamond stitching that the customer requested. ItÂ’s all done in-house (fun fact, Mil-Spec is now also doing upholstery for private jets). Virtually every non-upholstered surface is made from machined aluminum. That includes the steering wheel, climate control knobs, air vents, window switches, turn signal stalks, even the custom-made ignition key. They all look and feel superb with hefty weight and crisp edges. The toggle switches are a particular treat and return a light, mechanical click with each press. Some of them are a little tough to reach as a result of the HummerÂ’s strange interior layout, but that would be the case even in a stock Hummer. These aluminum pieces are a massive step up from the plastic rocker switches and air vents used on previous Mil-Spec Hummers.