General Motor’s HUMMER division has been enjoying positive results for 2006 with sales up a substantial 53.5 percent over 2005 for the first nine months of this year. The introduction of the smaller H3 was a major contributor to its performance, which recorded an increase of 158 percent over last for that model alone. Things are going so well that the company on track to sell its 200,000th vehicle this year.

Even better news for GM is that growth has picked up internationally, not just in its home market. The H3, which sells locally for $29,995, has been achieving excellent results in markets including Latin America, Africa and Middle East region and Europe. This success has spurred GM to work on more HUMMER models, and they're expected to release a pickup version of the H3 in the near future.

The brand is going from strength-to-strength with news of further expansion of the H3’s production planned to start in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Until recently, the H3 was built only in General Motors' Shreveport, La. plant. The South African built H3's will be sold in that country as well as Europe and the Middle East. Next year, the Port Elizabeth facility will begin shipping to Asia Pacific as well.