AM General Considering merchandising Build-Your-Own Humvee Kits

Off-road enthusiasts haven’t been able to purchase a brand-new Hummer H1 since 2006, however new reports recommend AM General could presently enable customers to purchase – and build – their own Humvee in the close to future.
According to HummerGuy.net, it’s a wide noted rumor at intervals the Hummer community that AM General could presently sell a partially-knocked-down, military-grade Humvee to interested civilians. The kit, allegedly known as the C-Series, would primarily offer everything required to assemble a spic-and-span Humvee, doubtless based mostly off the military A2 Series product line.
The one exception: powertrain. As is that the case with nearly all kit cars, buyers will reportedly ought to obtain their own engine and transmission to put in within the tight confines of the Humvee’s engine compartment. Although late-model H1 models were offered with GM’s 6.6-liter turbo-diesel Duramax V-8 associated an Allison six-speed automatic, Humvees sold to the militia still use an evolution of the traditional GM 6.5-liter turbo-diesel V-8, on with a four-speed automatic transmission. That pairing would doubtless be the best to install, tho' variety of H1 specialists supply swap kits for the Duramax, at the side of the Cummins diesel I-6 utilized in Ram pickups.
Hummerguy claims patrons are going to be able to add options like rocker panel and driveline protection, central tire inflation (CTIS) hardware, a 12,000-pound winch, and a heated screen. Creature comforts, however, may not be. tho' the civilian Hummer/ H1 interior was maybe best delineate as basic, its amenities --including plastic interior trim, electronic equipment, and upgraded seats – won’t be part of the C-Series. Instead, expect to visualize a metal dashboard, basic seating, an absence of sound abatement and carpeting, and so on.
Is this truth or to a small degree of fan fiction? in step with Jeff Adams, decision maker of communications and promoting at AM General, the corporate is "considering the event of a HUMVEE kit comprised of bound HMMWV body and chassis parts." That said, the corporate says it hasn't come back to a final judgment at now in time. " the corporate has engaged focussed group outreach with potential customers to determine the viability of such an effort, however, at now in time it's still work the feasibleness and prices of this planned initiative," Adams says. "Any other comments about this initiative would be premature and speculative."
Still, we predict it's a stimulating plan, and one that appeases Hummer fans and off-road enthusiasts alike. In fact, the concept is kind of just like the machine J8 Milspec kit once offered by yankee Expedition Vehicles, which sold military-grade Jeep Wrangler J8 vehicles (including an oh-too-cool pickup) as engineless kits to consumers, allowing people who really wanted one to possess one, but without Chrysler completely re-working the vehicle so as for it to befits both NHTSA and EPA regulations. an equivalent are often aforementioned for the Humvee – merchandising it in kit type permits the inflexible enthusiast to get one while not the corporate acquisition the value of re-engineering the vehicle to satisfy the newest airbag, collision, and emission standards. A completed C-Series can be titled, registered, and insured as a kit automotive designed by the owner, not AM General.
But, as AM General says, no call has been created. Adams notes a number of the data bestowed "reflects discussions we've had with focus teams to determine the viability of this planned initiative. All the data provided to the main target teams is notional and solely meant to gage A level of interest,  as we have a tendency to area unit still work the feasibleness and prices of this endeavor."
You tell us -- would a DIY Humvee kit be a worthwhile offering to the off-road vehicle market? Sound off in the comment section below.