"International" Hummer H3

MANCHESTER, U.K. — It's a watershed moment for one of the most iconic American brands. General Motors on Monday took the wraps off a prototype right-hand-drive Hummer H3, which signals the Detroit brand's commitment to making serious inroads into foreign markets.

The automaker said the right-hand-drive H3 will be built in South Africa and will be rolled out to right-hand-drive markets including South Africa, Australia and Japan starting this summer. Pricing for the right-hand-drive H3 will be announced later, GM said.

"We are determined to build on the brand's unique recognition in Europe and especially here in the U.K.," said GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz at the opening of a new Hummer showroom here.

Hummer reported that its sales grew nearly 34 percent globally in 2006 with 82,000 vehicles delivered, compared with 61,000 in 2005.

The H3 is powered by a 3.7-liter inline-5 that makes 242 horsepower and 242 pound-feet of torque. It is linked to either a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual transmission.