Hummer Division and Robby Gordon Motorsports have joined together to take on the Dakar Rally, widely considered to be the most grueling off-road race in the world due to its brutal terrain and extreme environmental conditions. Gordon will lead his Team Dakar USA from behind the wheel of a Hummer H3 race truck. His relationship with Hummer will also include driving an H3 in the 2006 Baja 1000 and Baja 500 desert races.

“Team Dakar USA's main objective will be to prove to the world that American innovation and determination can compete on the world stage,” said Gordon. “We started planning for this just after my first Dakar Rally, where we won two stages, and I know we are prepared and ready to take on the world.”

According to Susan Docherty, Hummer general manager, Hummer jumped at the chance to partner with Gordon in this international race. “This summer we took the first step in making Hummer a true global brand, with the sale of the first H3’s in Europe,” said Docherty. “This international event will give us a wonderful stage to show people around the world that the H3 is an exceptional off-road vehicle and one they should consider buying.”

Gordon’s H3 will consist of an H3 body paired with a specially developed chassis featuring a suspension designed by him and his Off-Road team. The H3 will be a tube-chassis vehicle similar to Trophy Trucks races in the famed Baja 1000, except that it will have a fully enclosed air-conditioned cockpit, including windshield and side windows. It will be powered by a production-based General Motors V8 engine.

The 16-stage Dakar race covers more than 6,000 miles (nearly 10,000 kms) in just over two weeks. While the event is gaining popularity in the United States, it has a broad following around the globe. The 2006 Dakar begins on December 31 in Lisbon, Portugal and runs through Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, and Guinea before finishing in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal. The race covers all types of terrain, from mountains to sea level and farmland to desert. Competitors can encounter snow and sub-zero temperatures as well as sandstorms and searing heat in the desert.

Robby Gordon was named by Off-Road retailer magazine in 2004 as one of the five most influential people in the off-road industry. He has successfully owned and operated teams in the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series, CART, IRL and SCORE.

Hummer is a division of General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer, which employs about 325,000 people globally. The Hummer product line-up consists of three models, the H1, based on the military HUMVEE, the H2 and the H3. The H2 SUV went on sale in July 2002 and the new H2 SUT was first available in the (northern) summer of 2004. The all-new midsize H3 began arriving in dealer showrooms in May 2005.

Robby Gordon Motorsports is based in Huntersville, N.C., and is owned by Gordon. In addition to its Dakar effort, the team focuses its attention on competing in America's biggest racing series - the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The team has run numerous seasons in various racing series, including CART, the SCORE International Off-Road Series, the NASCAR Busch Series, the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and several one-off efforts in the famed Indianapolis 500, with Gordon enjoying success at every level of his storied career as an owner and driver. He prides himself on his meticulous nature, which includes building cars, trucks and other racing machines that are among the best in their respective disciplines.

The Hummer H3, which will be assembled in South Africa from December 2006 is expected in Australia in the first quarter of 2007! Power is currently provided by an in-line 5-cylinder petrol engine. A diesel engine will be optional at an early time.

Another Hummer H3 race truck, this one is Rod Hall's.

GM'S 2005 SEMA Showcase
2nd November, 2005
GM will make a big impact at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, proving that with the right combination of technology, great products and accessories, it's possible to pack performance, style and fuel economy into one exciting package ..... more

GM's Global Growth Continues
27th October, 2005
General Motors reported calendar year-to-date sales (January - September) of 7,066,774 vehicles around the world – a 3.7 percent increase over 2004 ..... more

GM Opens Russian R&D Science Office
26th October, 2005
General Motors will open a new R&D science office in Moscow in order to leverage Russian science institutes and universities on a broad array of technologies ..... more

S3X From Daewoo For Holden
16th October, 2005
Holden is showing the striking S3X concept SUV at Sydney's Australian International Motor Show, as the preview for a Daewoo-sourced seven-seater Holden destined for Australia next year ..... more

Holden's Wild Hot Rod Brings FJ Back to Life
13th October, 2005
A wild 21st Century hot rod reinventing one of Australia ’s most famous cars, the FJ Holden, was unveiled today at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney ..... more

Historical Brazilian Truck's Driving Odyssey
12th October, 2005
An intrepid group of eight passionate Brazilian adventurers traveled nearly 19,312 kms (12,000 miles), crossing two continents, eleven countries and the Amazon River ..... more

Viva is Holden's Big News
10th October, 2005
Holden has launched Viva – a new nameplate, for the Holden brand ..... more

Subaru and GM Walk Away From Each Other
7th October, 2005
Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru cars, released its plan of their alliance changes ..... more

2005 Special Edition VZ Commodore Lumina
28th September, 2005
Holden is delivering more than $6,000 of extra features in the new special edition VZ Commodore Lumina sedan and wagon ..... more

Holden's New Tigra Hardtop Convertible
23rd September, 2005
Holden is stepping up its focus on the small car market with the pending launch of the Tigra hardtop convertible ..... more

Extra Temptation For Holden's SS Models
13th September, 2005
Holden’s SS model performance heroes will deliver extra temptation in SSZ special editions to be released on Commodore, Ute and Crewman ..... more

America's Pontiac Solstice Is Pure Roadster
11th September, 2005
Inspired by the pure driving experience offered by classic roadsters, the 2006 Pontiac Solstice delivers invigorating driving thrills with balanced performance ..... more

Global Alliance for Hybrid Drive Development
10th September, 2005
BMW Group, DaimlerChrysler AG and General Motors have signed a "memorandum of understanding" governing the formation of an alliance for the development of hybrid drive systems ..... more

Holden Launches Dual-fuel Commodore
9th September, 2005
The success of Australia ’s most popular car range will be enhanced with the launch of a dual-fuel Commodore, featuring a newly-developed version of GM Holden’s 3.6 litre Alloytec V6 ..... more

Cadillac BLS
31st August, 2005
Where does the 2006 Cadillac BLS, which is set for its world premiere at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, sit in Holden's plans for the future? ..... more

Holden Workforce Restructure
26th August, 2005
GM Holden Ltd has made a decision to reduce the workforce size of its South Australian operations ..... more

America's Chevrolet SSR
23rd August, 2005
When it comes to the SSR, the shy need not apply. This heritage-styled roadster utility turns heads, garners thumbs-up and elicits smiles ..... more

150 Holdens Crushed for Emergency's Sake
19th August, 2005
A total of 150 Monaros, Commodores, Rodeos and other Holdens with a retail value of more than $5 million have been shipped to New Zealand to become scrap metal in the name of emergency safety ..... more

Hummer H3 Now Arriving In Europe
28th July, 2005
General Motors continues its global expansion with the announcement yesterday it will sell the all-new 2006 Hummer H3 in Europe. The H3 will come to Australia in early 2007 ..... more

Last Hurrah for Holden's Legendary Monaro
26th July, 2005
Holden will next month release a striking special edition, Monaro CV8-Z, as the final chapter in a remarkable success story in Australian automotive history ..... more

Holden Expands The Astra Line-Up
18th July, 2005     Additional details added 21st July, 2005
Holden has extended its popular Astra small car range with a sporty new three-door coupe and a versatile compact wagon ..... more

GM Again Increases Sales in Europe
15th July, 2005
General Motors sold over 1,063,000 vehicles in Europe in the first half of 2005, an increase of more than 23,000 or 2.3% over the same period last year ..... more

GM Thailand Sets Benchmark for Industry Safety
14th July, 2005
General Motors Thailand recently achieved a new milestone for automotive industry safety, surpassing 40 million hours worked without a single working day lost ..... more

Holden Hits Record First Half Sales
6th July, 2005
Holden has achieved its highest first half sales in history and reached the half year mark with Australia's best selling passenger and light truck ranges ..... more

GM Daewoo Achieves First-Half Sales Record
4th July, 2005
GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo) announced on Friday that it sold a record 507,910 vehicles worldwide in the first half of 2005 ..... more

Corvette C6.R Scores Class Win At Le Mans
24th June, 2005
Corvette Racing made history last weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, scoring its fourth 1-2 finish in the GT1 class in five years with the new Corvette C6.R ..... more

New Barina and Viva For Holden
23rd June, 2005
Regular readers will recall that the Editor said last year that GM was good for Daewoo and that Daewoo was good for GM. The new Barina and the new Viva, together with the as yet unannounced small AWD (petrol and diesel), are proof that Daewoo was an excellent acquisition for General Motors ..... more

Chevy Announces Corvette Z06
16th June, 2005
Chevrolet has announced that the fastest Corvette ever — the 505-horsepower Corvette Z06 — will achieve 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds while still in first gear ..... more

The New Vectra For 2006
16th June, 2005
Highlights of the new Vectra include a completely new, striking face in the dynamic GM design language, an extensively modified engine range with a brand new, top-of-the-line 230 hp 2.8-litre V6 turbo, as well as an array of class-leading technical features ..... more

New Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Racers
7th June, 2005
Having scored three GTS class victories in five years, the Corvettes return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 18th June ..... more

Australian Trade Minister Helps Introduce Holden Flagship Cars To South Korea
2nd June, 2005
The Federal Trade Minister, the Hon. Mark Vaile, helped General Motors introduce the Holden designed and manufactured GM Daewoo Statesman prestige car to South Korea ..... more

Holden Statesman International (WL series)
30th May, 2005
Australia’s renowned luxury car will have a sportier edge when Holden releases the 2005 Statesman International this week ..... more

Hummer H3 deliveries begin in USA
23rd May, 2005
Deliveries of the midsize sport utilities to US dealers is now underway. Assembly of this new model will begin late next year in South Africa. It is this South African built version which will come to Australia in 2007 ..... more

Holden Unveils New Headquarters
19th May, 2005
Holden moved from art deco to state-of-the-art yesterday, with the opening of its new headquarters at 191 Salmon Street, Port Melbourne ..... more

New VZ Storm Ute and Crewman
28th April, 2005
Holden announce the special edition Storm Ute and the first ever Storm Crewman ..... more

Hummer H3 Ready For Its US Release
28th April, 2005
America sees the new Hummer H3 next month, ahead of its 2007 Australian release ..... more

MADE IN CHINA: GM's new world car
26th April, 2005
The all-new Chevrolet Aveo made its worldwide debut, last week, at the Shanghai Motor Show. It will be sold in more than 120 countries and territories ..... more

The Statesman Goes To South Korea
18th April, 2005
GM Daewoo has introduced its new flagship model and first large car, the Daewoo Statesman ..... more

Vauxhall Astra Diesel
20th April, 2005
Will we see a diesel engine in the Holden Astra? ..... more

Holden To Import Cars From GM Daewoo
12th April, 2005
Holden today confirmed that it would begin importing vehicles from General Motors’ South Korean operations (GMDAT) later this year ..... more

Hummer H3 Is Coming To Australia In 2007
7th April, 2005
General Motors announced overnight that the Hummer H3 will be assembled in South Africa, for world markets. Naturally, Next Car is the first Australian media outlet to publish the details ..... more

Colin Powell To Drive Pace Car At Indy 500
6th April, 2005
Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, will drive a 2005 Chevrolet Corvette convertible pace car to lead the field to the start of the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500 on 29th May, 2005 ..... more

Holden Scores First Quarter Sales Record
5th April, 2005
Holden has achieved its second month of market leadership in 2005, helping it to a record first quarter sales result ..... more