"I'm confident that Hummer will thrive globally under its new ownership. And for GM, this sale continues to accelerate the reinvention of GM into a leaner, more focused and more cost-competitive automaker," Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, said in a statement.

The focus of General Motors, after the hopeful sale of Saab and Saturn along with the phase-out of Pontiac, will be on four profitable and tasteful `nameplates:' Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac.

Expected by the third quarter's end, General Motors and Sichuan Tengzhong hope to finalize the sale. The cost of the fashionable brand is unknown at this time, but I suspect it to be less than one of Barry O's Air Force One joyrides.

While environmentalists fume that the Hummer line will be revived, economists see the benefits. The Chinese conglomerate has agreed to "secure more than 3,000 jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and at Hummer dealerships around the United States. Under the proposed deal, Hummer will continue to contract vehicle manufacturing and business services from GM during a defined transitional time period. Also, GM's Shreveport Assembly plant would continue to contract and assemble the H3 and H3T through at least 2010."

There is speculation that the Chinese Company, though not experienced in the automotive area, will rejuvenate the brand and possibly make it somewhat eco-friendly. Whatever the case, the Sichuan Tenghong purchase sheds a little hope in a fairly unknown and bleak economic future. And to all you high-rollers out there who may be a tad status hungry, there is no need to worry as your favorite bling-bling-all-terrain-brute will still be produced for your yearly automotive purchases.