When General Motors went into bankruptcy, the company sent pink slips to 1,130 dealers that didn't meet a certain (unknown to us) set of criteria. The wind down of those dealers was supposed to be completed by October 2010, but a new law mandating a six-month arbitration process could give some of those GM stores a second lease on life. GM Chairman and interim CEO Ed Whitacre reportedly told a group of reporters that he expects many dealers to be reinstated, guessing the final number will be somewhere "in the hundreds."

Whitacre added that the process GM used to determine which dealers would make the cut was "pretty arbitrary," but he added that some process was necessary even though it could never be perfect. In other words, some good dealers were given the axe while some bad dealers have a shot to be reinstated. The rules of arbitration require that interested dealers provide notice by January 25 and a judgment will be delivered on each case by June 15. Regardless of how many dealers are reinstated, Whitacre said The General will likely make money in 2010. That's surely welcome for a company that has seen more than a bit of bad news over the past few years.

While Whitacre was on his soap box, he also took a few moments to discuss the future of Saab, or the likely lack thereof. The interim CEO reportedly said that anyone who wants Saab could merely "show up with the money," but so far nobody has brought money to the table (we're guessing Spyker is a bit nonplussed at such talk). Whitacre added that the company would continue trying to find a buyer even as the embattled Swedish brand is wound down.


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