Humvee manufacturing in China

There are at least two Chinese automobile manufacturers building Humvee copies, possibly with the assistance of AM General. Both Humvee copies rely heavily on imported U.S.-made parts including chassis, gear box, and diesel engine. It appears that at least one company, Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM), has the full consent and cooperation of AM General. Both manufacturers claimed that they will be able to gradually increase the percentage of indigenously made content on the vehicles in the future, since the PLA is unlikely willing to accept any equipment that relies largely on foreign made parts.

Background

During the 1988 Beijing Defence Exhibition, AM General demonstrated an example of its M998 4x4 high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (Humvee) to the People's Liberation Army. The vehicle was reportedly left in China after the exhibition closed for further testing and evaluation. The PLA did not show much interest initially due to the vehicle’s high unit price and maintenance costs, but this attitude was somehow changed during the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, when the Humvee gained high publicity in front of press cameras.

The Chinese petroleum industry has purchased a small number of Hummers, the civilian version of the Humvee, through commercial sources from the United States since the mid-1990s. This provided the Chinese auto makers with an opportunity to examine the vehicle closely and for reverse-engineering. In 2002, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC)...
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