The plan by China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery to buy GM’s Hummer brand could be in jeopardy as the economic agency for China might reject the bid. Tengzhong will be negotiating with the National Development and Reform Commission to secure approval for its purchase of Hummer.

Unconfirmed reports, however, say that Tengzhong and Hummer have not yet presented the case and that any rumours of blocking the agreement should be considered pure speculation. Chinese state radio has revealed, though, that environmental concerns and Tengzhong’s lack of experience may mean the deal is never reached.

General Motors had originally tentatively agreed to sell the Hummer brand to Tengzhong, and talks between the two companies are proceeding as planned. Tengzhong is based in the Sichuan province and manufacturers special-use vehicles, construction machinery and energy equipment.

Source | Wheels

Just out of curiousity: which cars pollute the most? Here, we list the Top Ten greatest producers of CO2 in the world. The winner is the Bugatti Veyron, but also Bentley made sure not to miss out, with its products well represented in the ranking.

Ferrari hardly pollutes less, but the latest creations of Cavallino, the 430 Scuderia and the California, end up at 360 e 310 g/km, respectively.

1. Bugatti Veyron: 571 g/km
2. Lamborghini Murciélago LP640: 495 g/km (500 g/km la Roadster)
3. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano: 490 g/km
4. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti: 475 g/km
5. Bentley Arnage/Azure/Brooklands: 465 g/km
6. Dodge Viper SRT-10: 463 g/km
7. Ferrari F430: 420 g/km
8. Hummer H2: 412 g/km
9. Mercedes G500: 400 g/km
10. Bentley Continental GT/GTC/Flying Spur: 396 g/km

One cannot help but notice a few absences from this ranking. For example, the G55 AMG, which strangely pollutes just slightly less than the G500 (392 g/km). Or the astonishing new Gallardo LP560-4, which emits only 327 g/km, a huge amount less than the F430.

Or also two “beasts” like the Maybach and the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which, emitting 383 e 377 grams, respectively, not only beat the rival Arnage by a long shot, but even the smaller Continental Flying Spur!

Source | Autoblog.nl

After the reports from Fritz Henderson, Chief Operating Manager GM regarding the future of Hummer, any doubts about whether the brand will be sold or not will come to nothing: it’s now only a question of time.

General Motors has held a press conference in which it revealed the necessary financial restructure of the company, one of the measures of which will be the sale of the Hummer brand. Group treasurer Walter Borst, revealed that cost cutting will need to be anywhere up to 10 billion dollars - a hard goal to achieve when most of the measures are going to be painful ones.

The decision to forego buying advertising space at the next Super Bowl, for example, says it loud and clear - this could be a historic period for General Motors. The decision to not advertise however, saves only four billion dollars. For the next six, GM has entrusted the strategy to an external consulting agency that will take on the responsibility of finding savings in these last months of 2008.

Via | TheCarConnection

Diplomacy has been thrown out the window as General Motors, rather than limiting itself to talk of reviewing the plans, has revealed its intention behind the Hummer brand, the enormous off-road vehicle from Detroit.

Automotive News has revealed statements from Frtiz Henderson at a press conference in India. Henderson, Chief Operating Officer, has said that the sale of the Hummer brand has become “urgent” as the US market finds itself in deep water in terms of off-road vehicles.

The declaration made in India could mean the brand looks to an Asian future, although denials from Mahindra mean the hypothesis is a little shaky. The focus there is on the return of Tata Motors, though we had also reported on theories regarding an Arab acquisition. We’ll keep you updated.

General Motors has presented an interesting initiative for Hummer fans: between November 7 and 12, a small caravan of 17 Hummer H3’s will travel 1300km of Morocco, where offroad vehicles can really be thrashed.

The trip takes in the Sahara desert where plenty of driving challenges should be faced on the dunes, which will be confronted with specific sand tyres. All extra equipment required will be provided but apart from that the H3’s will be strictly from the series.

The expedition will leave from Agadir port and will involve 28 participants as each car will have a driver and passenger who will receive special instructions on desert driving prior to departure. The trip will pass through the Sahara before returning again to Agadir.

The Driving Academy is only the first in a series of similar iniatives that will take place in 2009 with the aim of demonstrating the off-road capabilities of this vehicle in some great scenery around the world.

For anyone wanting to participate, the cost is 3995 euros, exclusing air transfers and drinks. For full details of the program go to the Hummer Driving Academy site.

Despite continued denial from General Motors, rumours surrounding the cession of the Hummer brand continue to fly.

This time around it has been Hummer Middle East to let drop an indiscretion, saying that there are two groups of investors from the Persian Gulf region who would be interested in taking on the American brand, which is currently in some difficulty such as to put its survival at stake.

Terry Johnson, in a recent interview with Reuters, has underlined how even Aston Martin and Ferrari have flirted with investors from these parts, demonstrating that the middle eastern market is a serious player.

No swan song is yet scheduled though, and if GM really does sell off its Hummer brand, the clamour from dealerships is likely to be very loud.

The American giant GM will be displaying three world premieres and seven European premieres at the forthcoming Geneva International Motor Show. Their numerous brands will be presented in all their glory, despite recent difficulties in Detroit.

Other than the new three-door Aveo (which was discussed recently on the Italian site), Chevrolet will unveil a new version of the Epica, equipped with a new 6-speed automatic gearbox.

For Opel the cars on display will consist of the Meriva Concept, the new Agila and the freshly restyledZafira, equipped with a new engine line-up. As for Saab, they will be displaying the 9-4X Biopower Concept which was unveiled in Detroit, whilst
Cadillac will present four European debuts: The Provoq Fuel Cell Concept, the CTS Coupé Concept, the CTS-V and the Escalade Hybrid. From Hummer and Corvette there is a new model from each on display: the HX Concept from the former and the excessive ZR1 from the latter.

Finally, the GM HydroGen4 Concept car will be on display, equipped with a fourth generation fuel cell. This vehicle represents an important evolution of its precursors showing off better dynamics, a more durable system, and a superior day-to-day usability. The vehicle is equipped with a fuel stack containing 440 series-connected cells that produces 93 kW of electricity. The performance statistics are remarkable for an electric motor at 100bhp (73 kW) which according to GM can manage 0-100km/h in around 12 seconds. The prototype’s three hydrogen tanks are made of carbon fibre and can be filled to a high pressure of 700 bar. The capacity of 4.2 kg of hydrogen guarantees a driving range of up to 320 km.

The conclusion: “The Fiat Panda 4×4: nice, light and compact, in some ways, surprisingly good off the road, but fitted with an engine that simply falls short for the heavier stuff. The Hummer H2: an excellent off-the-road vehicle that is too big to go everywhere it might want to go.” 4Car’s advice: wait for the diesel version of the Panda (70 hp Multijet), or for the Hummer H3.

Or, who knows, maybe Fiat will produce a direct rival for the Hummer.