During the 2003 recall election, Schwarzenegger tried to appear more green by talking up his attempt to convert a Hummer into a hydrogen-powered vehicle. Schwarzenegger proposed the idea to GM, and the company ultimately custom-built one for him.

The governor was busy Friday announcing his new budget and did not have time to comment on the news that GM would discontinue the Hummer H1.

For the 2006 model year, the H1 was offered as a high-performance H1 Alpha that costs about $130,000 to $140,000. The 2004 model year H1 sold at a base price of about $106,000. Last year, GM sold 374 H1s, down 16 percent from 447 in 2004.

AM General, which builds the H1, H2 and Humvee in Mishawaka, Ind., said it doesn't plan to cut any jobs as a result of the decision. It said workers there were expected to be shifted to military production.

Publicity surrounding the Humvee in the Persian Gulf War — and the drop in military demand afterward — helped lead to the civilian model. With the current war in Iraq, the end of H1 production comes at a time when military demand for Humvee has increased, said AM General spokesman Craig MacNab.

But while the Humvee was the heart of the Hummer, the Hummer also has left its mark.

MacNab noted that changes to the H1 have found their way into Humvees being built for today's soldiers. The seats of Humvees are now designed to be more comfortable — like the H1s — and the chassis on the newest model Humvees, he noted, was essentially developed for the H1.

"The military production has always been the heart of our business," MacNab said.