One unwidely known aspect of General Motors and HUMMER is that the H2 vehicles weren’t actually manufactured by GM but by AM General in a plant in Mishawaka, IN, the same place where the military HUMVEEs are built.

Soon it will be producing another vehicle, the MV-1, which is claimed to be “the first and only vehicle built from the ground up in the United States to meet or exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) vehicle guidelines.” This is not a conversion vehicle, but one designed with high levels of accessibility: not only are there wide access doors (36-in. wide, 56-in. high), but there’s a ramp that has a 1,200-lb. capacity. The floor to ceiling height inside the MV-1 is 59.5 in. The vehicle is being produced by Vehicle Production Group LLC.

It is powered by a Ford 4.6-liter V8 and is equipped with a Ford four-speed automatic. It can be optioned to run on compressed natural gas.

Another application for the MV-1: taxis.

Perhaps this marks the return of low-volume, custom vehicle manufacturing.