Just like I predicted.

Earlier today I was chewed out by the chief operating officer of Discover San Diego for pointing out the obvious, that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if Hummer was sold to a foreign buyer, except for those who lost their jobs and their families who my heart goes out to. “It will be the end of the American Era if the Russians or the Chinese get it,” he insisted.

“The Russians won’t get it,” I explained. “They don’t have the infrastructure. There are two cities in Russia. Moscow and St. Petersburg. The rest is largely undeveloped land. It’s not that Russians don’t have the capacity for success, it’s that Russia doesn’t have the weather. The Chinese will likely buy Hummer.”

Now because Sichuan Tengzhong is a heavy industrial machinery company, the purchase makes some sense. Why would a consumer buy an over sized, overpriced gas guzzler of yesteryear?

The Hummer doesn’t make sense as a mass market consumer vehicle in today’s world, which is why the sale isn’t a bad thing for GM.  The loss of jobs is devastating for few compared to what we’ve seen so far this year.

A few years ago, it made perfect sense to sell the over sized gas guzzler in the excess obsessed America, but not a lot of sense to buy one unless you live in the mountains or the desert.  It works as an extreme condition military vehicle and it works as a heavy industrial vehicle.

In today’s self obsessed and eco(nomy)(ology) obsessed environment, getting rid of the gas guzzler is a good thing.  What should GM do when its back on its feet?  If I was the CEO, once the bankruptcy stabilizes, at least enough to catch a breath, I’d buy Aptera. 300 miles to the gallon makes sense in today’s economy.

Right now the Aptera starts at around $28,000, but if distribution could be spread wide enough the car could earn a substantial profit at $20,000.

I still believe in excess. A car should be excessively fast, but if you can’t afford that, it should at least get excessive gas millage.

What do you think internet?