Engineering News Blog

Engineering News

Latest news of interest to engineers. Sourced from GlobalSpec's Engineering News

Previous in Blog: Olympic Pollution Controls In Beijing China Had Big Impact On Air Pollution Levels   Next in Blog: Wii-Controlled Robots Made for Combat
Close
Close
Close
3 comments
Rate Comments: Nested

White House Approves Bailout for Automakers

Posted December 19, 2008 9:25 AM

From detnews.com - Autos Insider:

President Bush will announce this morning that he is awarding $13.4 billion in short-term loans to prevent General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC from collapse, offering loans with extremely strict conditions. The plan calls for another $4 billion in February, contingent on Congress opening the second half of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue package. Bush rejected bankruptcy as an option for the automakers. The White House expects to announce the specific amounts for GM and Chrysler later today and both automakers are expected to sign contracts agreeing to conditions in exchange for loans. The loan is a three-year-loan that is "automatically" callable by March 31 if automakers have not complied with specific conditions. They must show they are viable and have a "positive net cash value." The White House said there would not be a "car czar" but that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson would oversee the program for the remaining 30-odd days of the Bush Administration. The plan requires automakers to provide warrants for non-voting stock, and they must have strict limits on executive compensation and perks like corporate jets. The government will have the power to block transactions of more than $100 million. The Bush Administration set targets for sacrifice by various stakeholders, but didn't lay out requirements. "We don't believe its appropriate for the government to dictate" concessions between bondholders, the United Auto Workers and others, the White House said.

Read the whole article

Reply

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.
Guru

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Transcendia
Posts: 2963
Good Answers: 93
#1

Re: White House Approves Bailout for Automakers

12/20/2008 6:40 PM

General Motors and Chrysler control space on factory floors making cars more dependent on styling than utility. No wonder lousy trucks from Ford compete with Toyota trucks. The fact is that cars will be made since they are useful and needed. The past infrastructure in place is not good enough for the present demands. The perfect electric motor needs to be identified and built around by designers and engineers.

__________________
You don't get wise because you got old, you get old because you were wise.
Reply
Guru
New Zealand - Member - Kiwi Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Engineering Fields - Power Engineering - New Member Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 8777
Good Answers: 376
#2

Re: White House Approves Bailout for Automakers

12/21/2008 1:59 PM

I think most of us know why they are doing it, but does anyone else think that this is like trying to put out a fire by throwing money at it?

The writing has been on the wall for a long time and unless they SERIOUSLY get there act together and change (like Ebenezer Scrooge did), then this is yet another (expensive) short-term reprieve for a bunch of industry dinosaurs that cannot move and compete in todays world against their competition. Corporate culture, infrastructure, looking and listening to what the public actually want, waste and inefficiency, it all has to change or they ain't going to survive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

Mark my words, this is going to end badly. I am so mad I feel like throwing a shoe!

Well at least the workers will have a merry(er) Christmas, that's something.

__________________
jack of all trades
Reply
Guru
Panama - Member - New Member Hobbies - CNC - New Member Engineering Fields - Marine Engineering - New Member Engineering Fields - Retired Engineers / Mentors - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Panama
Posts: 4273
Good Answers: 213
#3

Re: White House Approves Bailout for Automakers

12/22/2008 10:53 PM

Let's see- it was reported a while back that 65% of the American population opposed an auto industry bailout. So, although the House of Democrats chose to ignore the will of the voters, the Senate spoke for us. Only now, the lame-duck president has decided to over ride public opinion and our elected officials, to repeat the errors committed by the British when they tried to do the same thing for their auto industry...

Reply
Reply to Blog Entry 3 comments
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

cwarner7_11 (1); jack of all trades (1); Transcendian (1)

Previous in Blog: Olympic Pollution Controls In Beijing China Had Big Impact On Air Pollution Levels   Next in Blog: Wii-Controlled Robots Made for Combat

Advertisement