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The board of General Motors met on Sunday to review a restructuring plan intended to cut costs and win support for up to $12 billion in emergency funding from the U.S. government, a person familiar with the deliberations said.

Tags: Bailout, Deliberations, General Motors, Gm, Restructuring, Turnaround Plan, U.S. government, United States, USD

“Do you have good credit? Where’s your light bill? Where’s your gas bill?” Sales staff at Bill Heard Enterprises Inc. stores greeted shoppers with those questions, a former Heard manager recalls. Poor credit? No problem.

Tags: Bill Heard, Bill Heard Enterprises Inc., Empire, Heard Enterprises, Poor Credit, Recalls, Sales Staff, Shoppers

The Hyundai Accent has backward-leapfrogged Nissan’s Versa to become the cheapest car sold in the United States and#x2014; by $20.

Tags: Champ, Cheap Car, cheapest car, Hyundai, Hyundai Accent, New Car, New Hyundai, Nissan, United States, USD, Versa

Through October, about 700 automobile dealers in the United States have gone out of business this year. Ford dealer Donna Todd is desperately hoping she won’t be next.

Tags: Automobile Dealers, Donna Todd, Face, Fallout, Ford, Ford Dealer, United States

General Motors is asking dealers to order more vehicles to earn incentive cash but with a provision the automaker says is designed to balance dealer inventories.

Tags: Automaker, Dealer Inventories, Earn Cash, General Motors, Gm, Gm Dealers, Provision

Automotive News and the Association of Finance and#38; Insurance Professionals are hosting a two-day conference May 6 and 7 and#x2014; and delivering it to your computer.

Tags: Association of Finance and#38, Automotive News, Finance, Insurance, Insurance Professionals, Online conference, Online News

Tim Sunburg could see that things were coming undone at Denny Hecker Automotive Group back in mid-October. Sunburg, a service adviser at Hecker’s Ford dealership in Monticello, Minn.

Tags: Adviser, Automotive Group, Denny Hecker, Denny Hecker Automotive Group, Ford, Ford Dealership, Hecker, Minnesota, Monticello, Tailspin, Tim Sunburg

The Lincoln MKZ was restyled and re-engineered for the 2010 model year. The most striking change is the large split grille with tall vertical fins, key elements of Lincoln’s new design language.

Tags: Design Language, Elements, Lincoln, Lincoln Mkz, Striking Change, Vertical Fins

As the Detroit 3 plead for federal loans, Asian and European competitors continue investing in the United States. Even in another market downturn, they are building assembly plants in a relentless search for new and growing segments.

Tags: Assembly Plants, Detroit, European Competitors, Expansions, Federal Loans, Market Downturn, Relentless Search, Segments, United States

As GM’s cash cushion shrinks, suppliers who are nervous about GM’s ability to pay rely on trade credit insurance and#x2014; a policy that guarantees suppliers will be paid for delivered parts if their customer, the automaker, defaults.

Tags: Cash Cushion, Gm, Insurance, Trade Credit Insurance, trade credit insurance and#x2014, Worry

Automakers are whacking TV commercials, events and other spending as they urgently cut marketing costs to conserve cash.

Tags: Automakers, Budgets, Collapse, Marketing, Tv Commercials

Before voting on aid to ailing automakers, Republicans in the Senate will take aim at the UAW and some benefits that many Americans find excessive. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo.

Tags: Aim, Automakers, Cross Hairs, Kit Bond, Missouri, Republicans, Senate, Uaw Contract

Financing for credit-challenged customers is much harder to find in today’s credit-starved market, but determined dealerships are still getting financing for some subprime customers.

The board of General Motors met on Sunday to review a restructuring plan intended to cut costs and win support for up to $12 billion in emergency funding from the U.S. government, a person familiar with the deliberations said.

Tags: Bailout, Deliberations, General Motors, Gm, Restructuring, Turnaround Plan, U.S. government, United States, USD

The board of General Motors met on Sunday to review a restructuring plan intended to cut costs and win support for up to $12 billion in emergency funding from the U.S. government, a person familiar with the deliberations said.

Tags: Bailout, Deliberations, General Motors, Gm, Restructuring, Turnaround Plan

The Detroit 3 should tell Congress they will limit corporate pay, bonuses and severance packages in return for government loans, the president of the UAW said today.

Tags: Congress, Detroit, Government Loans, Severance Packages, UAW

General Motors, whose CEO was blasted last week by U.S. lawmakers for flying on a private jet to ask for public funds, has asked the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to prevent public tracking of a jet it leases.

Tags: Ceo, Federal Aviation Administration, General Motors, Gm, Lawmakers, Private Jet, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, United States

Nissan North America, bowing to pressure from dealers, reversed a decision announced Monday and said it will participate in February’s Chicago auto show.

Tags: Chicago, Chicago Auto Show, Nissan, Nissan America, Nissan Auto, Nissan North America

DETROIT — General Motors is studying the idea of killing the Saab, Saturn and Pontiac brands as it seeks U.S. rescue loans, Bloomberg News reported today.

Tags: Bloomberg, General Motors, Gm, Gm Saturn, Gm Studies, Loans, Pontiac, Pontiac Motors, Saab, Saturn, Saturn Motors, United States

The lines of communication between automakers’ Washington offices and President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team for transportation are officially open.

Tags: Automakers, Barack Obama, Face To Face, Lobbyists, President Elect, Transition Team, Washington, Washington Offices

Toyota Motor Corp. has priced the 2009 Tundra full-sized pickup truck. Stickers range from $23,235 for the regular cab 4×2 with a V-6 engine to $42,350 for the Limited Grade 4×4 CrewMax with a 5.7-liter V-8. Prices include shipping.

Tags: 4x2, Limited, Liter, Pickup Truck, Toyota, Toyota Motor, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Price, Toyota Tundra, Truck Stickers, Tundra, USD

Shares of General Motors and Ford Motor Co. jumped today after Deutsche Bank said chances have improved for the struggling U.S. automakers to receive a government bailout. “There is growing concern about the risks to the U.S.

Tags: Automakers, Bailout, Deutsche Bank, Ford, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Gm, Gm Ford, Growing Concern, Outlook, Shares, United States

A subsidiary of Canadian auto-parts maker Magna International Inc. said today it plans to close its two Ontario plants and consolidate its operations with other facilities, cutting about 850 jobs.

Tags: Auto Parts, auto-parts maker, Canadian Auto, Cutting, Facilities Jobs, Magna International, Magna International Inc, Ontario, Plants, Subsidiary

Ford Motor Co. will shut down its Hermosillo assembly plant the last two weeks of December and all of January and resume production Feb. 2, the automaker’s new president in Mexico said yesterday. Eduardo Serrano, in his first interview with a U.S.

Tags: Assembly Plant, Automaker, Eduardo Serrano, Feb 2, Ford, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., Mexico, Mid Dec, New President, Serrano, United States

Daimler AG says Cerberus Capital Management LP is making new and )x(“?”,exaggerated demands? that have hampered Daimler’s effort to sell its 19.9 percent stake in Chrysler Holding LLC to the private equity firm.

Tags: Cerberus Capital Management, Cerberus Capital Management Lp, Chrysler, Chrysler Holding Llc, Daimler Ag, Percent Stake, Private Equity Firm