Big, bold and brash, the Hummer reflected many of the excesses of the booming world economy of just a few short years ago. But now with global markets still struggling, it seems it is about to slip quietly out of production.

The news comes as General Motors says its plans to sell the Hummer brand to Chinese carmaker Sichuan Tengzhong have failed. GM says it has now started an "orderly wind-down of the Hummer operations". GM has also said it will work closely with Hummer employees, dealers and suppliers to wind down the business in a responsible manner.