美国汽车新闻 Obama tells automakers: No more excuses

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Washington -- President Barack Obama laid out a grim message for General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC today, warning they may be forced into a quick bankruptcy and saying the nation "cannot continue to excuse poor decisions."

In a speech at the White House flanked by a dozen top advisers, Obama said bluntly what his administration said Sunday: The companies cannot continue to survive as they are now structured and must quickly make more painful choices or face collapse.

"What we are asking is difficult. It will require hard choices by companies," Obama said in the Grand Foyer reading from a television monitor as dozens of photographers snapped pictures. "We also cannot continue to excuse poor decisions. And we cannot make the survival of our auto industry dependent on an unending flow of tax dollars. These companies -- and this industry -- must ultimately stand on their own, not as wards of the state."

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The administration has taken a much tougher line with automakers than many Wall Street banks that have received tens of billions of dollars in loans -- and are under no timetables to restructure or face liquidation.

Obama rejected the viability plans the automakers filed in support of the $17.4 billion in government loans they've received.

"Neither goes far enough to warrant the substantial new investments that these companies are requesting," Obama said. "They must produce plans that would give the American people confidence in their long-term prospects for success."

But the president also pledged to aid workers and communities in Michigan and elsewhere who almost certainly face the prospect of more tough times to come.

"Many of you have been going through tough times for longer than you'd care to remember," he said. "And I will not pretend the tough times are over. I cannot promise you there isn't more difficulty to come. But what I can promise you is this: I will fight for you."

Obama's auto advisory team said a bankruptcy filing may be the "best chance of success" for both automakers, but said it would be a "surgical" bankruptcy that could last for as little as 30 days.

The president sought to reassure consumers and workers that bankruptcy, if required, would be brief.

"What I am not talking about is a process where a company is broken up, sold off, and no longer exists," he said. "And what I am not talking about is having a company stuck in court for years, unable to get out."

To reassure customers, the government is unveiling a program to back the warrantees of GM and Chrysler vehicles -- in the event either automaker fails. Both automakers will contribute funds that will be backed by government loans.

The administration has given Chrysler 30 days to complete a tie-up with Fiat SpA -- and said it would give the Auburn Hills unit of Cerberus Capital Management LP no more government loans if it failed to make a deal. The government concluded that Chrysler cannot survive as a stand-alone company, but agreed to offer it 30 days of additional short-term aid. The administration did say it would loan a Chrysler-Fiat partnership up to $6 billion -- but with some conditions.

"While we recognize that we still have substantial hurdles to resolve, Chrysler is committed to working closely with Fiat, the administration, U.S. Treasury and the Task Force to secure the support of necessary stakeholders," Chrysler chairman and CEO Robert Nardelli said in a statement.

"I want to personally assure all of our customers, dealers, suppliers and employees that Chrysler will operate 'business as usual' over the next 30 days."

But White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that if Fiat ended talks, the government might be willing to support a partnership with another automaker.

GM said in a statement today the company would be willing to undergo a bankruptcy filing if necessary.

"Our strong preference is to complete this restructuring out of court. However, GM will take whatever steps are necessary to successfully restructure the company, which could include a court-supervised process."

GM's new CEO Fritz Henderson said the company would work "around the clock" over the next 60 days "to make the fundamental and lasting changes necessary to reinvent GM for the long-term."

Obama laid out a series of steps that his administration had outlined to reporters and lawmakers on Sunday. Those steps, he said, could help the U.S. industry once again dominate the automotive world. But he made clear there is more pain to come.

"These efforts, as essential as they are, will not make everything better overnight," he said. "There are jobs that cannot be saved. There are plants that will not reopen. And there is little I can say that can subdue the anger or ease the frustration of all whose livelihoods hang in the balance because of failures that weren't theirs."