What's Next for the Auto Industry?

Wall Street Strategies submits:The year that every automaker would like to forget is now officially behind us. December's monthly auto sales figures are in and the final month of the year put an almost giddy feeling on the final month of the year. General Motors grabbed most of the headlines in the final weeks of December with its Fire Sale announcement for Pontiac and Saturn models in hopes of working through its inventory.

By Adam Levine-Weinberg:As recently as one week ago, the Canadian Auto Workers Union was threatening a simultaneous strike at each of Detroit's "Big Three" automakers.

The automaker hopes the program will rid it of the final reminders of two brands headed for the auto graveyard. But an analyst says the incentive is 'more hype than substance.' General Motors Co.

The automaker's revised business plan would also leave the government owning at least half of the company. GM's Hummer, Saturn and Saab will cease production by year's end if not sold off. In a desperate bid to avoid bankruptcy, General Motors Corp. today launched a restructuring plan that would eliminate 2,600 dealers, 21,000 workers, $44 billion in debt and four brands, including Pontiac -- while leaving the U.S.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The automaker General Motors Corp is mulling whether to shed its Pontiac, Saab and Saturn brands, as well as its Hummer brand, as part of a plan to win $12 billion of U.S.

Detroit — The Detroit Three maintain Canada remains the most expensive place in the world to build their cars and trucks despite the concessions that were wrested from the Canadian Auto Workers in their round of labour talks in the fall. This has raised some concerns that the cost of doing business in Canada will continue to see automakers move assembly work out of Canada to lower-cost areas, including in the United States and Mexico.

Robert Salomon submits: For those of you following GM (MTLQQ.PK) developments, it appears that the sale of Saab to Spyker has now closed (see Spyker Closes Purchase of Saab).