The White House told Congress that it is against a provision in a spending bill that would block General Motors from shedding more than 2,000 dealers and also force Chrysler to reopen 789 shuttered dealers.

Read the original here White House strongly opposes dealer bill

This week, we’re talking with Seth Leitman, clean energy and electric vehicle expert about plug-in cars, about how GM and Chrysler are doing (some great links below), and interior design. Check out the #carchat How-To , or click through for a #carchat widget. Anyone can join us at 8PM EST July 15, on Twitter . And if you’d like to… Read the rest

Warren — President Barack Obama defended his bailout of General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, citing their speedy exit from bankruptcy and saying the consequences of doing nothing would have been catastrophic.

Read the original here Obama defends bailout for Chrysler, GM

I’m in Italy with Fiat, finding out about the owners of America’s third-largest car company, Chrysler. And, naturally, all we want to know is what the Italians intend to do to the folks in Auburn Hills. Herewith, a few observations. On the PR side, they’ve put the power back with the brands. They have cut out what little flab… Read the rest

Filed under: Car Buying , Chrysler, LLC. , GM , Earnings/Financials Back in late 2008, auto executives from General Motors and Chrysler warned of dire consequences in the event that one of their companies was forced into bankruptcy proceedings. With the help of the federal government, little of that doom and gloom materialized, at least when it comes to… Read the rest

The past year has been unkind to coachbuilding and contract manufacturing firms as the wealthy rein in their more extravagant purchases and carmakers bring their production back in-house. Carrozzeria Bertone, the manufacturing arm of the Bertone Group, is feeling the pinch of bankruptcy in Italy, but Fiat today announced it plans to submit a bid to buy the company.… Read the rest

Holding company RHJ International has emerged this week as a strong challenger to Magna International in the bidding war for General Motors’ Opel division. The Belgium-based industrial holding firm, which is linked to the U.S. buyout company Ripplewood, confirmed that it was in advanced talks to buy a majority stake in Opel and hopes to reach an agreement with… Read the rest

Last week we mentioned that Congress is considering legislation that would turn back the clock on the Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcies — at least as far as dealers are concerned. Now comes word that GM is putting pressure on its remaining dealers to oppose that legislation, and some elected officials and dealer groups aren’t happy. If ..

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It’s a few years in the offing, but the next versions of Ford’s popular Fusion and Taurus sedans will share some running gear. The Detroit News reports Ford will move to share vehicle platforms across the mid-size range as it redesigns vehicles like the Taurus, which just emerged as a new 2010 model, and the Fusion, which was significantly… Read the rest

Well this one is a surprise! Chrysler’s latest announcement is good news for performance enthusiasts and fans of the Viper sportscar. When Chrysler began to run into serious financial problems and began seeking governmental help (which it received), the company opted to sell all it’s valuable assets in a bid to stay afloat. The “Viper brand” was one of… Read the rest