A.M. General's job was to make vehicles, including variations of the CJ, for the U.S. government. One A.M General product you might recall, if you're old enough, was the white postal Jeep.
In 1979, A.M. General started planning for a new vehicle to be called the High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle or Humvee. The contract for production was awarded in 1983. That same year, in need of ready cash, AMC sold off A.M. General.
A version of the Humvee for civilian use, later called the Hummer H1, went into production in 1991. In 1999, General Motors acquired exclusive rights to the Hummer name and began marketing Hummer-branded vehicles designed by GM, including the Hummer H2 - which is still produced by A.M. General - and the midsized Hummer H3.
Chrysler unsuccessfully sued GM over the use of a seven-slot grill, perhaps a lingering remnant of the original Humvee's corporate origins. Chrysler lost that suit.
