Planned for a 96-acre site in Mishawaka, near South Bend in northern Indiana, the 630,000-sf facility will deliver a new sport utility vehicle to market in 2002, the Hummer H2. Jim Armour, president and CEO of AM General, says the H2 plant operations will be located just east of the existing plant and will be part of the complex that produces both the Humvee military vehicle and the commercial version, now called the Hummer H1.

Chuck Robinson, senior vice president at AKA, says his firm will provide overall management and single-source responsibility for the new facility. AKA is partnering with Chiyoda AES, a Detroit automotive process-engineering company, for process-related program management support. AKA will simultaneously provide comprehensive architectural and engineering services for the project.

The Hummer H2 project represents a joint agreement between AM General and General Motors of North America to produce a completely new sport utility inspired by the popular Hummer H1. AM General, headquartered in South Bend, IN, is a privately held company owned by New York City-based Renco Group Inc.