Canadian Auto Workers Approve GM Deal

GM vetoes deal involving Chinese company

(NEWSER) - Saab finally threw in the towel today, after former owner General Motors once again vetoed a rescue plan involving China’s Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile. Saab’s current owner, Swedish Automobile, filed for its bankruptcy, saying that "the company, without further funding, will be insolvent, and that filing bankruptcy is in the best interests of its creditors." Saab hasn’t made any cars since April, thanks to growing debts, Reuters reports. More»

Former car czar calls deficiencies 'appalling'

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's former car czar says he had no choice but to fire GM's Rick Wagoner. "Everyone knew Detroit's reputation for insular, slow-moving cultures," Steven Rattner writes in an essay for Fortune. "Even by that low standard, I was shocked by the stunningly poor management that we found, particularly at GM, where we encountered, among other things, perhaps the weakest finance operation any of us had ever seen in a major company." Wagoner himself was “likable, dedicated, and knowledgeable,” but he “set a tone of ‘friendly arrogance'" for the company. More»

Detroit firm also recommends Vauxhall go to Magna

(NEWSER) - After painfully drawn-out negotiations, General Motors’ board has agreed to sell its Opel unit to Canadian firm Magna International, maintaining a tie that will keep Opel a "a fully integrated part of GM's global product development organization," the company said. The German government, which earlier this year loaned Opel $2.1 billion, was pushing for the deal. More»

(NEWSER) - The man tabbed by President Obama to see General Motors and Chrysler through bankruptcy is leaving the post, the New York Times reports. Though Steven Rattner’s former investment firm is under investigation, it’s unclear if that affected his decision. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said today that, with both auto giants emerging from bankruptcy, Rattner is leaving to spend more time with family. He’ll be replaced by Ron Bloom, a top member of the advisory group. More»

Good assets go to US-backed firm

(NEWSER) - As of 6:30 this morning, the new General Motors is on its way: The old firm sold its good assets to a new automaker backed by the government via a bankruptcy overhaul far speedier than experts expected, the New York Times reports. The new firm, Vehicle Acquisition Company, will soon be renamed General Motors. At an upbeat Detroit press conference 3 hours later, GM CEO Fritz Henderson promised to turn the impressive "speed and intensity" of the reorganization to making great cars. More»