Army Humvee Evolution Over 35 Years
One if by land, two if by sea and 4x4 if by Humvee!
Army Humvee manufacturer AM General is a successor company to a variety of auto industry players, with roots stretching back to Studebaker’s founding in 1852 as a wagon supplier and continuing through Kaiser, Willys, Jeep and American Motors Corporation.
AM General spun off as a stand-alone company in 1971, and in 1983 its bid won the Army contract to build the High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV, which was quickly changed to “Humvee.”
The first Humvees were delivered to the Army in 1985. Following the Humvee’s high-profile role in the 1991 Persian Gulf war, AM General launched the Hummer street-legal version in 1992, following Jeep’s evolution from Army truck to civilian SUV. In 1999, General Motors bought the rights to the Hummer name and launched that as a new division.
A 2007 upgrade saw AM General start delivering Humvees to the National Guard for service in disaster recovery. Track the Humvee’s various configurations over the years in this slideshow.
Dan Carney is a Design News senior editor, covering automotive technology, engineering and design, especially emerging electric vehicle and autonomous technologies.
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