Auto Industry Bailout, Auto Industry | featured news

The moves come less than an hour after Obama tells the two carmakers to take another stab at redesigning their companies, a requisite for receiving more federal funds.

Less than an hour after President Obama said a major overhaul was needed to save the auto industry, Chrysler announced that it had formed the framework of an alliance with Fiat, while at General Motors Corp., new leaders took charge after the chairman was forced to step down

President Obama is making a formal announcement this hour about his plans for troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler, which have already been given $17.4 billion to keep them running.

The Obama administration asked Rick Wagoner, the chairman and CEO of General Motors, to step down and he agreed, a White House official said.

President Barack Obama will announce the next steps to help General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC on Monday, the White House said, amid signs of progress for GM in talks aimed at slashing its debt and cutting costs in response to slack demand.

The Obama administration task force is likely to recommend more aid for struggling U.S. automakers, a senior senator said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday pledged to provide up to $5 billion in financing support to auto suppliers to help them survive a massive downturn in car sales.

US carmaker General Motors says it will not need the $2bn it had previously requested for March from the government.

General Motors Corp.'s auditors have raised "substantial doubt" about the troubled automaker's ability to continue operations, and the company said it may have to seek bankruptcy protection if it can't execute a huge restructuring plan.

The president's chief of staff criticized U.S. car companies Sunday for relying too long and gas guzzlers and not investing enough in alternative energy vehicles.

General Motors Corp. posted a $9.6 billion fourth-quarter loss Thursday and said it burned through $6.2 billion of cash in the last three months of 2008.