Well, bondholders do seem to be lining up for the new plan negotiated over the last several days, and the UAW has finally come into line.
But the chances that Fritz Henderson is calling a press conference to announce that GM avoided bankruptcy aren't very good. At least the markets won't be surprised by the news.
Former GM product chief Bob Lutz recently told a gathering of Detroit's automotive press that General Motors will likely emerge from hard times in a much better position to compete. He wouldn't confirm that GM will enter bankruptcy for sure, but he didn't hesitate to give his opinion about what would happen if GM does in fact declare Chapter 11.
"We intend to get in and out very soon," he said. "The U.S. government wants its money back, and our plan is to pay it back as quickly as possible. The U.S. government doesn't want to own auto companies."
This is the long-rumored Honda hatchback/crossover/wagon thing. As you can see, it was shot by one Mr. M. Balisky, apparently while he was vacationing in the Great Smoky Mountains, one of America's most popular national parks.
We're guessing it won't be quite so popular with Honda engineers from now on, as they've done a pretty good job of keeping the lid on this new model up to this point. Most speculation points to a fall debut for this variation of the Accord, but as usual Honda is saying much for now.
No, there is not a word missing in the title. They're called the BMW M3 Edition models. Maybe it's a bad translation, or there really isn't a good translation, either way it's an odd name for what looks like a pretty cool, although mildly upgraded, set of M3s.
Available in four colors -- Alpine White, Black, Dakar Yellow and Monte Carlo Blue -- all cars features dark chrome grill insets, side gills and exhaust tips along with black hood scoops and side mirror caps. The interiors get contrasting stitching on the seats and door panels in varying colors depending on the exterior.
A lowered suspension (-0.4") and unique 19-inch wheels are also standard. The light alloy, double-spoke wheels come in a variety of finishes including polished with white accents. Thankfully, that option is limited to black, white and blue versions only.
BMW says the M3 Edition models will be available worldwide starting in July. Strangely enough, that doesn't always include the U.S., but given the fact that these cars are nothing more than a minor cosmetic trim package, there's a good chance we'll get them too.
General Motors announced this morning that it intends to build a new small car at an undisclosed plant in the U.S. We assume GM is referring to the Chevrolet Spark
, but who knows at this point.
Announcing production plans just days before you also announce your own bankruptcy seems like odd timing, but then again, everything coming out of GM seems a little bit odd these days.
Will we ever get this hopped up TT in the U.S.? The jury is still out, but as contributor Alistair Weaver points out, as good as it looks on paper, the Audi TT-RS doesn't always feel like the Boxster-killer that its spec sheet suggests. See why in our exclusive test drive from Europe.
Take a night lap (or several) around the Nordschleife with the Tischner E46 BMW M3 in the 2009 Nurburgring 24 Hour Race.
Or, after the jump, go for some daytime laps with Subaru's factory drivers in a current-gen STI. You even get to watch them shifting in these clips. Or just experience what it's like to be standing at Dottinger Hohe at night with your hand-held camera pointed at the straightaway as really fast cars go by.
Of all the information that has come out of the Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings, a comment by Alfredo Altavillia, Fiat's head or business development takes the cake as the most memorable.
During questioning by bankruptcy judge Arthur Gonzales, Mr. Altavillia said that Chrysler's turnaround won't be much different that Fiat's own turnaround just a few years ago, citing the planned introduction of Fiat's manufacturing system and product development process.
Beyond the top brass, Chrysler staff will remain mostly American.
"We don't intend to ship hundreds of Italians who would get lost in the Wal-Mart," Mr Altavilla said.
A report in the German press of an all-electric Audi R8 appears to be a little optimistic. Auto Motor und Sport claimed that the alt-power R8 would appear alongside the R8 convertible at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show.
When we contacted Audi to confirm the story, a spokesman gave us a much different and very precise answer: "Nope, not true."
So at this point, it depends on who you believe, but we won't be expecting anything more than the convertible in Frankfurt at this point.
