Shreveport would feel Hummer sale, truck cutback

GM also said it would lay off salaried workers, suspend its dividend and borrow up to $3 billion to weather a downturn in the U.S. market.

Specifics about the Shreveport plant were scarce Tuesday. The plant employs 1,946, including 190 salaried workers, 1,611 hourly workers and 145 temporary employees. It builds Hummer H3s and two mid-size pickups, the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon, and plans to roll out the new Hummer H3T pickup truck in September.

The company's plan to sell up to $4 billion of assets, including the Hummer line, raises questions about the future of the Shreveport plant. Another round of truck production cutbacks complicates the picture.

GM spokeswoman Traci Murray said the H3T is still on track to reach dealerships.

"It's a tossup on reviewing the brand and seeing if someone comes to the table to make an offer," Murray said.

Earlier, GM said its review of the Hummer brand could include a redesign to make the vehicles more fuel-efficient.

David Healy, an auto industry analyst for Burnham Securities, said he doubted the sale of Hummer would have much impact on GM's long-term prospects. He said it might be a "better fit" for a foreign manufacturer, such as India's Tata Motors Ltd., which recently paid Ford Motor Co. $2.3 billion for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

Healy would not speculate on what price GM might get for Hummer.

"They're selling it at the worst possible time, but if times weren't bad, they wouldn't be trying to sell it," he said.