China's Changfeng Laughs at HUMMER. Allegedly.
Reuters quotes a source with "direct knowledge of the matter" (i.e. themselves) that claims Chinese SUV maker Changfeng Motor Co. took at a look at buying GM's Dead Brand Stunting and said "Hahahahaha. No." More journalistically, "Changfeng, partly owned by Mitsubishi Motors Corp decided not to proceed with the talks after a tour of Hummer's U.S. production facility, as it saw only limited potential for it to market the vehicle, the source said. 'The Hummer is way too expensive for the Chinese military and demand from civilian buyers is not big enough to justify a purchase, especially with oil prices running near an all-time high,' the source said." OK, if that doesn't sound like a made-up quote, nothing does. Despite the fact that Reuters should have filed this one under Wild Ass Rumor, it's certainly true that the HUMMER brand is a drug on the market, and it ain't Viagra. CNN reports that India's Mahindra and Mahindra is also taking a pass. A fter Russian "oligarch" Oleg Deripaska said "nyet."
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Of Course the Government wanted Hummer!
This was obvious. What is there to sell? Plans? Dealership network? The name? They certainly weren't going to sell anyone the Tahoe assembly plant. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein: There was no there, there.