GM gets serious about right hand drive Hummer H3

Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman, global product development, unveiled a prototype right hand drive H3 during the opening ceremony in Manchester. The right hand drive Hummer H3 will be assembled at GM's Struandale plant in South Africa and will be available in other right hand drive markets, such as South Africa, Australia and Japan.

GM acquired the rights to the Hummer brand in late 1999. The H3 made its debut in North America in May 2005 and helped make Hummer one of the fastest growing truck brands in the United States by the end of 2006. With its smaller, more efficient package, the H3 made the brand accessible to more customers, while still retaining the characteristics that make a Hummer unique: iconic design and unparalleled off-road performance.

In addition to growth in the United States, Hummer has shown significant expansion around the globe. Hummer sales grew nearly 34 percent globally in 2006, with 82,000 vehicles delivered, compared with 61,000 in 2005. This performance was paced by the continued strength of the Hummer H3.

While all previous H3s have been assembled in GM's North American facility in Shreveport, Louisiana, the new international H3, intended for most markets outside of North America, is being assembled at the Struandale Assembly Facility in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where GM invested more than $100 million to prepare for production of the H3.