bankruptcy
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The last we heard, production at Saab’s plants back home in Sweden had come to a halt due to a lack of funds and fears that the automaker’s new parent, Spyker Cars, was also close to being bankrupt. In response, the CEO of Spyker, Victor Muller, set out on a quest to acquire desperately needed funding, managing to secure an investment from Russian Vladimir Antonov, as well as a tentative deal with little-known Chinese automaker Hawtai. We’re sad to report that the deal with Hawtai has since been terminated, though talks are ongoing and involve additional parties. The small...
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Could Saab Be Bankrupt Within 5 Days? Antonov Thinks SoVladimiar Antonov, the Russian banker and businessman whose involvement in Spyker caused a delay in the sale of Saab from GM while investigations into rumored mafia ties were held, has said in an interview with Sweden's Dagens Industri that Saab could be bankrupt in as little as five days. Antonov...
Nelson Ireson -
New Jersey Motorsports Park, Host of Inaugural U.S. RallyCross, BankruptNew Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) isn't a headlining NASCAR venue or even one of America's great road courses, but it was the site of the inaugural U.S. RallyCross event, and it plays host to dozens of motorcycle and car track days each year--as well as the occasional vehicle launch. Today, NJMP...
Nelson Ireson -
Bristol Cars Bankrupt After 65 Year RunThe U.K.'s Bristol Cars may not be on the tip of every wagging social media tongue these days, especially here in the U.S., but it has produced some remarkable cars over the years. Unfortunately, unless it finds an angel to keep it going, it may be going under. Bristol has entered administration...
Nelson Ireson -
GM Releases First Post Bankruptcy Financial ResultsGM has confirmed that it intends to start making payments for the respective U.S., Canada, Ontario and Germany government loans next quarter.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
GM gets 5 new board members appointed by U.S., Canadian governmentsGeneral Motors' recent bankruptcy proceedings have seen the company transformed as it leaves behind failing assets, and according to the company these changes have also been reflected through a restructured board of directors. Five new members have been added to the board following the bankruptcy...
Ralph Hanson -
Lighter, smaller, quicker and more responsive to customer needs - that's how the new General Motors Company is comparing itself to the now-defunct General Motors Corporation it replaces. Today's emergence from bankruptcy - just 40 days after it went in - marks the start of what the new GM hopes will be a very different way of doing business. The core points of the new GM plan were released in an announcement this morning, with more details to follow shortly in a media call with CEO Fritz Henderson. Central to the new GM manifesto is an openness to customer input, a new buying structure that...
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Bankruptcy court approves GM asset saleGeneral Motors is one step closer to emerging from bankruptcy, with a judge on Sunday approving an asset sale to allow the most profitable assets to exit bankruptcy protection under government ownership. Judge Robert Gerber of the U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan said the sale would "prevent the...
James Martinez -
Karmann shuts its doors as last convertible rolls off the lineLast year a spate of bankruptcy threats and possible acquisitions or closures hit the coachbuilding industry, but today Karmann, perhaps most famous for the Karmann Ghia conversion, is closing its doors. Bankruptcy is the next step, and it's not clear if the firm will come out the other side. The...
Ralph Hanson -
GM sees possibility for early exit from Chapter 11Much talk over the messiness of so-called 'surgical' bankruptcies has spun about the web, and before Chrysler and General Motors went into the process, there was a lot of doubt that they'd be out within the planned 60 days. But Chrysler is already working with Fiat and now GM sees itself possibly...
Nelson Ireson -
Ford: Government loans to Chrysler, GM saved the industryIt's easy to look at the bailouts and bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler as a big-government bonanza. Some even see tints of socialism in the loans and subsequent government ownership stakes. But as Ford points out today, there was more at stake than just two companies. The entire...
Alex Kaufmann -
Marchionne says Fiat will stick with Chrysler deal despite delayAlthough Fiat's purchase of Chrysler seemed almost a done deal last week, today the U.S. Supreme Court has issued an indefinite stay on the sale until it can decide whether to hear an appeal from some of Chrysler's creditors. But the delay won't stop Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne from sticking to the...
Nelson Ireson -
A bit over a week into GM's bankruptcy and we're starting to see announcements that mirror those made by Chrysler about a month ago. Today's is the naming of the post-reorganization chairman of GM, Edward E. Whitacre Jr. The appointment of a new chairman, to take the place of GM's interim chairman Kent Kresa, is regarded as a crucial step in GM's rebirth. "The appointment of Ed Whitacre as chairman represents a very auspicious beginning for the New GM," said Kresa. "We look forward to working with him to complete the reinvention of GM and maximize the enormous potential of this new...
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Republicans and Democrats blame each other for GM collapseThe collapse of General Motors has seen some of the most divergent views on both politics and the automotive industry appear in recent times, and even though the collapse of GM had been predicted for months, if not years, there is still arguing over who was responsible and what American consumers...
Ralph Hanson -
Dick Cheney: Bush didn’t want to be the one to ”pull the plug” on GMEarlier this week General Motors formerly announced that it had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy but the truth of the matter is that the struggling automaker’s downfall was predicted years ago and it has only managed to survive up until now on the back of government handouts. According to...
James Martinez -
GM appoints Detroit turnaround expert Al Koch to oversee bad assetsIn times of trouble, companies need a solid leader to help turn their fortunes around. You only need to look at what Fiat has achieved in the past few years with Sergio Marchionne at the helm to understand the benefit of appointing a turnaround expert. To help facilitate GM's turnaround, the...
James Martinez -
Official: GM files for Chapter 11 bankruptcyGeneral Motors today announced that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following an agreement reached with the U.S. Treasury and the governments of Canada and Ontario to accelerate its reinvention and create a leaner and stronger "New GM". The filing is the third-largest in U.S. history and the...
Ralph Hanson -
U.S. government pledges $30 billion in GM bankruptcy financingIt's been expected for a long time but it finally appears as though General Motors’ bankruptcy is upon us, and with it the federal government is set to bring the struggling automaker out of its eventual Chapter 11 filing with over $30 billion in financing. The news comes from White House...
Nelson Ireson -
As General Motors prepares for a bankruptcy announcement on June 1, the U.S. Treasury is helping to pave the way by releasing a new deal that leaves GM's bondholders with 25% of the restructured company, and the government as a 72.5% 'inactive' stakeholder. Winning the support of the bondholders was a key step toward making the bankruptcy process smoother and now insiders are saying things will move forward quickly. A previous plan had GM's bondholders taking just 10% of the restructured company, a figure that was just too low for them to accept given their investment level. So the U.S...
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Warren encouraging GM to move corporate HQ with tax breaksDetroit has long been the heart of America's automotive industry, but 2009 has been a major period of upheaval for the city, with further shocks expected to come - including the possibility that General Motors will move its corporate headquarters out of Detroit downtown area and into a neighbouring...
Alex Kaufmann -
GM and UAW reach tentative dealThe U.S. Treasury, General Motors and the United Auto Workers have reached a tentative bargain on how they'll deal with changes to the current agreement in the face of the industry's problems and GM's increasingly probably bankruptcy. The details of the deal are being kept quiet until the local...
Ralph Hanson -
GM to close 42% of Canadian dealer networkThe symptoms of America's ailing carmakers don't recognize borders, and no nation is more keenly aware of that fact than Canada. That's doubly true after today's announcement of General Motors' planned closure of 42% of the company's Canadian dealerships. In all about 300 dealers will be shuttered...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: Chrysler to offer $1,000 certificates to all existing customersAs bankruptcy thrashes Chrysler vehicles' resale value the company is pulling out all the stops to keep sales up until it can emerge and join forces with Fiat. To help get feet on the floors of its remaining dealerships, the company is now reportedly getting ready to send out $1,000 certificates...
Ralph Hanson -
Chrysler resale values down 6% in a week as uncertainty rules the dayIt's simple math: carmaker plus bankruptcy equals uncertainty and lower resale values. But Chrysler owners are feeling the bite of that equation as the value of their vehicles dropped 6% on average in a single week. In the week after Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, owners of...
Ralph Hanson