02/07/2008 14:59. The music may not have stopped playing for Hummer.

General Motors' decision to keep, kill or sell the brand revered and reviled for its rugged SUVs is less clear-cut than Hummer haters might expect. GM's leaders must evaluate a complex set of economic and emotional factors as they weigh Hummer's fate.

No brand in the auto industry evokes stronger feelings than Hummer. Some people despise it as the embodiment of wasteful arrogance. Others - not as many, but they're the ones who buy Hummers, so their vote counts more - love the vehicles' extraordinary capability and styling braggadocio.

Hummer's fate hangs in the balance of those forces, GM's ability to develop more vehicles for the brand, and the legal hailstorm its dealers will call down on GM if their pricey franchises... // San Luis Obispo Tribune