New Hummer H1 SUVs Exported to China

Saint Clair, Mich.-based Humvee Export has contracted VLF Automotive to build replicas of the Hummer H1 SUV for sale in China.

The partners hope to ship about 100 of the massive vehicles, which went out of series production in 2006, per year to wealthy Chinese buyers.

Humvee Export believes there’s a niche international market for the rugged vehicles, president John Costin tells Car and Driver. He describes potential buyers as people who “want to have the most fun at five or six mph.”

General Motors Co. discontinued the Hummer brand in 2010. But AM General Corp. has offered kit versions of the H1, called the Humvee C-Series, since 2013. The kit, which includes all parts except the engine, costs $60,000.

VLF will purchase the C-Series kits from AM General and assemble the vehicles at its facility in Auburn Hills, Mich. Buyers can choose between two engines: a 6.2-liter V-8 and a 6.5-liter diesel V-8 that tops out 250 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque.

VLF was formed in early 2016 by entrepreneur Gilbert Villarreal, automotive icon Bob Lutz and design guru Henrik Fisker. The company builds the Destino high-performance sports car based on the defunct Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid and fitted with a Chevrolet Corvette V-8 engine. VLF also makes customized Dodge Viper and Ford Mustang models.