AM General

AM General

Company type	Private
Industry	Automotive, Defense
Predecessor	Willys-Overland Motors, Kaiser-Jeep Corporation, American Motors Corporation
Founded	1971 (1971)
Founder	American Motors Corporation (as AM General)
Headquarters	South Bend, Indiana , United States
Area served	United States, International (military vehicles)
Products	Military vehicles (Humvee), Civilian vehicles (Hummer H1), Transit buses, Tactical vehicles
Owner	KPS Capital Partners
Website	www.amgeneral.com

AM General is a U.S.-based manufacturer specializing in heavy-duty vehicles and contract automotive production, with its headquarters located in South Bend, Indiana. The company is well-known for creating the civilian Hummer H1 as well as the military Humvee, both assembled at its facility in Mishawaka, Indiana. Between 1974 and 1979, AM General also produced more than 5,400 transit buses.

The firm provides vehicles for the CUCV initiative within the United States Armed Forces.

Origins

The roots of AM General go back to the Standard Wheel Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, which expanded in 1903 by incorporating the Overland Automobile Division. In 1908, John North Willys purchased Overland and renamed it Willys-Overland Motors. By 1941, Willys-Overland had secured a U.S. Army contract to manufacture the Willys MB ("Jeep"), recognized as America’s first widely produced four-wheel-drive tactical utility vehicle.

In 1953, ownership transferred to Kaiser Motors, which rebranded Willys-Overland as Kaiser-Willys Motor Company and later as Kaiser-Jeep Corporation in 1963. Subsequently, American Motors Corporation (AMC) acquired it in 1970. A significant change in ownership occurred in July 2020 when private equity firm KPS Capital Partners took over AM General.

Defense and Government Products Division

In 1964, Kaiser-Jeep expanded by acquiring Studebaker’s South Bend, Indiana facilities, including the "General Products Division" and its substantial defense contracts. Kaiser had already won an $87 million Army truck contract and agreed to fulfill this order at the newly acquired South Bend plant.

American Motors

When American Motors Corporation purchased Jeep from Kaiser in 1970 as Kaiser exited the automotive industry, AMC made Jeep’s General Products Division a wholly owned subsidiary by 1971, renaming it AM General Corporation. In 1982, AMC ceased independent operations after Renault gained control. Due to regulations preventing foreign government ownership of defense contractors—and Renault’s partial ownership by the French government—AMC’s defense-related assets faced regulatory complications.

LTV Corporation

In 1983, LTV Corporation acquired AM General, making it a fully owned subsidiary. The company’s headquarters relocated from Detroit to Livonia, Michigan in 1984 before moving again to South Bend, Indiana in 1986 to be closer to its main manufacturing sites.

Renco Group

AM General was sold to Renco Group in 1992 and later reorganized as a limited liability company in 2002.

Hummer brand

In 1984, AM General established a manufacturing plant in Mishawaka dedicated to producing the HMMWV. The civilian version of the HMMWV was introduced under the Hummer brand in 1992. General Motors (GM) purchased the brand rights in 1999 and continued manufacturing the original Hummer H1 until 2006. The Hummer H2 model—designed and marketed by GM but built by AM General until 2009—broadened the brand’s lineup; however, AM General did not produce the H3 model.

In 2003, GM successfully defended itself against a lawsuit filed by DaimlerChrysler concerning Hummer’s grille design resembling Jeep’s distinctive seven-slot grille—a reflection of their shared corporate lineage. GM also pursued legal action against Avanti Motor Corporation for producing a vehicle similar to the Hummer, highlighting AM General’s lasting impact on military-style vehicle design rooted in its Studebaker heritage.

2004–present

In August 2004, Ronald Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes entered into a joint venture with Renco Group, acquiring a 70% stake in AM General through a transaction valued at approximately US$1 billion.

By 2008, AM General collaborated with Vehicle Production Group (VPG) to manufacture specially designed taxi cabs, with production beginning in October 2011. The inaugural vehicle was delivered to Marc Buoniconti, who became partially paralyzed in 1985.

In May 2010, Azure Dynamics appointed AM General to produce electric drivetrains for Ford Transit Connect models at its Livonia, Michigan facility.

September 2013 saw AM General take over the U.S. Department of Energy’s secured loan to VPG and establish Mobility Ventures LLC to manage the MV-1 operations and oversee VPG’s assets.

Starting in 2015, AM General’s Mishawaka plant began producing the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, a move that prevented potential shutdowns of Mercedes-Benz production lines. This manufacturing agreement concluded in October 2017.

In July 2020, KPS Capital Partners acquired AM General from MacAndrews & Forbes.

AM General submitted a prototype for the U.S. Postal Service’s Next Generation Delivery Vehicle competition but was ultimately not chosen.

Jeep Dispatcher 100

Among AM General’s notable products was the Jeep DJ-5 series—a rear-wheel drive variant of the Jeep CJ-5, extensively utilized by the United States Postal Service as a right-hand drive mail delivery vehicle.

Buses

From 1974 through 1979, AM General produced the AM General Metropolitan transit buses designed for urban transportation, manufacturing a total of 5,431 units including 219 electric trolley buses. The Metropolitan originated from a 1971 licensing agreement with New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg to build and market the Western Flyer D700 model in the U.S. market. The front design was modified, making the Metropolitan a collaborative design rather than a direct copy. Subsequently, Flyer incorporated these design updates into its D800 and E800 models. Bus lengths were offered in either 35 or 40 feet, with widths available at 96 or 102 inches. Model numbers corresponded to these dimensions—for example, "10240" denoted a bus that was 102 inches wide and 40 feet long. Production included 3,571 diesel buses at forty feet and 1,641 at thirty-five feet.

Articulated buses

Between 1977 and 1979, AM General joined forces with Germany’s MAN Truck & Bus to assemble MAN SG 220 articulated buses for transit agencies across the United States. MAN provided the body shells from Germany while final assembly took place at AM General’s facilities. These buses were available in two lengths: approximately 55 feet and 60 feet, with roughly 93 units produced at the shorter length and the rest at sixty feet. Production ended in March 1979 after nearly 400 units were completed, including about 150 delivered to Seattle’s Metro Transit. MAN subsequently opened its own manufacturing plant in Cleveland, North Carolina.

Trolleybuses

AM General ceased production of complete motor buses by the end of 1978 and focused exclusively on two orders of trolleybuses during 1979—the only trolleybus models ever built by the company. These model 10240T vehicles comprised 110 units for Philadelphia’s trolleybus network operated by SEPTA and 109 units for Seattle’s system managed by King County Metro. One of Seattle’s retired trolleybuses has been preserved since its withdrawal from service in 2003.

Development and Manufacture of the HMMWV

AM General initiated the design of the M998 Series High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) in 1979, aiming to introduce a 1.25-ton truck that would succeed the M151 and various other light utility vehicles. The US Army awarded a prototype contract in 1981, leading to subsequent development and extensive testing throughout 1982. By March 1983, AM General had secured a $1.2 billion agreement to produce 55,000 Humvees encompassing five distinct models and fifteen different configurations over a five-year timeframe.

Manufacturing commenced in late 1984 at the Mishawaka, Indiana facility, with initial deliveries beginning in early 1985. International production surpassed 72,000 units by mid-1991; following an additional order of 20,000 vehicles, total output reached 100,000 by March 1995.

A contract awarded in late 2000 for 2,962 M998A2 trucks included options extending through fiscal year 2007 with provisions for continued renewals. To date, nearly 250,000 Humvees have been manufactured.

Designed with full-time four-wheel drive and independent suspension, Humvees possess steep approach and departure angles, can manage a 60% gradient, and offer substantial ground clearance. Recent variants include models M1151, M1152, M1165, and M1167. By 2015, the fleet comprised roughly 140,000 vehicles utilized across all branches of the US military as well as by more than 50 allied nations.

Replacement

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) has been developed as the successor to the Humvee and has been produced by Oshkosh Corporation since 2016. AM General was unsuccessful in securing this $30 billion contract and has since concentrated on providing Humvee support services along with developing new ambulance variants.

In February 2023, AM General was awarded an $8.66 billion contract from the US Army to manufacture approximately 20,682 next-generation JLTV A2 vehicles along with 9,883 trailers featuring integrated advanced technology upgrades intended for deployment within the US Armed Forces.

Oshkosh Defense was initially selected for the primary JLTV supply agreement.

Other Military Vehicles

During the 1970s, AM General obtained Department of Defense contracts for medium and heavy-duty trucks such as the M151 series, the 2½ ton M35 series, and the 5 ton M809 series. This was followed by production of the M939 series throughout the 1980s. In 2005, AM General broadened its military offerings by assuming responsibility for militarization, sales, and marketing of Light Service Support Vehicles (LSSV).