bankruptcy

When General Motors was on the verge of bankruptcy, cuts were made to salaried workers' pay and benefits. The move was important to help preserve as much cash as possible while also showing the federal government and the United Auto Workers that everybody in the company was making a sacrifice. Some might even say that salaried employees sacrificed more than others, as thousands were given pink slips and all lost health care benefits after age 65.

Don't expect General Motors Corp. to make any new announcements regarding Saab now or in the near future, according GM spokesman Chris Preuss. According to a report in Automotive News, Preuss added that no new Saab deals are imminent with any interested parties.

Planning for the future is perhaps an alien concept to big business - even automakers, with their protracted product development cycles. Take a cue of what not to do from them, then, and start planning now for next Christmas. May we suggest that your 2010 wishlist starts with what's destined to be a hotly-anticipated tome: Steven Rattner's memoir of his spearheading the bailout of General Motors and Chrysler. Tentatively titled "Overhaul," the cloyingly-named book will tell the story of the quick-rinse bankruptcies Rattner presided over.

Before Fiat and prior to bankruptcy, the old Chrysler, LLC needed $4 billion just to keep the doors open. The Bush Administration came through with the company-saving cash at the 11th hour, keeping the Pentastar solvent long enough to make it to bankruptcy court. Chrysler was reportedly given $15 billion in total aid, and it appears much of that money will be repaid through future payments and through incentives for Fiat to increase its stake in Chrysler from 20 percent to 35 percent. But that original $4 billion? Don't expect that money to come back any time soon - if ever.

According to Automotive News, Federal Express letters arrived at 81 of Saab's 218 dealers on Thursday stating that their franchises had not been selected to move forward and become a dealer for the post-sale entity, Saab Cars North America. The package from General Motors said that Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg, Saab's buyer, had selected only certain stores based on its business plan requiring strong, well-located dealers showing profits and high volume.

On March 30, President Obama announced that the federal government would back the warranties of General Motors and Chrysler in the event of bankruptcy. When the president says the word "backing," he means cold, hard cash, and in this case the total was $641 million. But with both companies out of bankruptcy court and flush with the government cash needed to run their businesses, it is apparently time to pay the money back.

Automotive News is reporting that new Auto Task Force head Ron Bloom informed a House Judiciary subcommittee that the government would no longer be backing the warranties of GM and Chrysler, adding "consumers can now feel assured that the companies have the financial wherewithal to meet their warranty commitments on a continuing basis."

One of the more controversial parts of the Chrysler bankruptcy was the decision to cut 789 dealerships by June 9. The move made for a quick, painful end to dealerships that in some cases spanned several generations of family ownership. When General Motors entered bankruptcy, it said it would cut about 1,300 retail stores, but the automaker planned on waiting until October, 2010 to pull the plug.

After a scant six weeks in bankruptcy court, General Motors is on its way out of Chapter 11. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Gerber approved the sale of GM's good assets to a new company lead by the U.S. and Canadian governments and the UAW healthcare fund, but gave vested parties four days to file an objection.

After two requests for a stay were denied on Tuesday and an accident victim's request was denied at the last minute on Thursday, all signs point to an exit from bankruptcy within a few days, and this morning, word from the Detroit News is that the company officially emerged from Chapter 11 at 6:30am this morning. CEO Fritz Henderson has called a 9 am press conference this morning, and one can only assume that he will declare the birth of "New GM."

With sales numbers continually bad and plants just now awakening from long idle periods, suppliers are particularly vulnerable to financial trouble. Seat supplier Lear Corporation failed to pay a $38 million obligation on June 1st, and the grace period has just run out. With General Motors as its largest customer, and a significant amount of Blue-Oval business, as well, Lear's late 2008 gamble of borrowing $1.2 billion as a hedge against Detroit bankruptcy has proven difficult for the company to pay back. The supplier of seats and electronic components filed for Chapter 11 today in U.S. bankruptcy court for the Southern District of New York. The company hopes to operate business-as-usual while it restructures and plans to emerge from bankruptcy within 60 days.