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Hummer, the sport utility vehicle (SUV) brand which symbolised Americans' love for hulking gas-guzzlers, is being put up for sale by General Motors because its customers have deserted in droves since petrol prices soared higher.
GM, tied with Toyota for the title of world's largest car-maker, unveiled the strategic review of the Hummer brand as part of a restructuring designed to shift production towards smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.
Coming a fortnight after rival Ford announced similar cuts to SUV and pick-up-truck production, GM's move reflects a change in consumer behaviour.
"High gas prices are changing consumer behaviour, and changing it rapidly," Rick Wagoner, GM chief executive, said at a briefing before the company's annual shareholder meeting.
"We don't believe it's a spike or a temporary shift. We believe it is, by and large, permanent."
GM said its strategic review would examine bids for the whole of the Hummer business, as well as considering the sale of a partial stake or a complete overhaul of the brand.
The company also said it would stop making SUVs and pick-up trucks at four North American plants, cutting overall production by half a million vehicles.
And Mr Wagoner said he had given the green light to production of the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in electric car which he said could be on the market in 2010.
GM said that its vehicle sales in May fell by nearly 28 per cent, with sales of its least fuel-efficient vehicles falling fastest.
Ford, too, unveiled US vehicle sales figures for last month, showing a 16 per cent decline.
Sales of its F-Series pick-up were down by 31 per cent and the Ford Explorer SUV plunged by 41 per cent, while its small car, the Ford Focus, was almost alone as a bright spot, up by 53 per cent.
The slide in car sales has pushed GM shares down to levels not seen since the early 1980s.
Unions called GM's decision to shut four plants "a betrayal", saying they should be retooled for smaller vehicles.
And analysts expressed disappointment at the timing of the Hummer review.
- THE INDEPENDENT
