Leslie Turk

Local dealers mum on GM bankruptcy

by Leslie Turk

The world’s largest car maker until its fall from the top spot last year, Detroit-based GM filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization this morning; it is expected to successfully emerge a more competitive company. GM's less profitable brands like Saab and Saturn will be sold or liquidated, and the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that it is closing on the sale of its Hummer brand. GM also plans to eliminate Pontiac.

Officials at Courtesy Automotive Group and Service Chevrolet, Lafayette's two GM dealerships, could not be reached for comment this morning. Courtesy is the state’s No. 1 seller for Pontiac, GMC and Buick brands, and Service is tops in the state for Chevrolet sales. These dealerships are suffering from declining sales related to the national recession, though they have weathered the downturn much better than most of their counterparts across the country.

Bloomberg reported today:

GM reported $82.3 billion in assets and $172.8 billion in debt. The U.S. government will bankroll the transformation of the 100-year-old automaker, a victim of tumbling sales and higher gas prices. The U.S. plans to convert much of its $50 billion of loans to a 60 percent stake in the new entity. Today’s filing in New York coincides with a deadline for GM to convince a government auto task force that it could reorganize out of court through debt and cost cutting.

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