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Who's more Volt out of one's senses, us over at AutoblogGreen for writing about the rebadged Holden Volt or GM for making a big deal out of it in the first place? Wait, I've got a question that's a bit easier to answer: what is biodiesel?

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Following uncertainty in General Motors’ global operations, workers from the automaker’s German Opel division staged rallies across Europe in an attempt to save their jobs. The main rally was held at Opel’s plant in Ruesselsheim, German, where some 15,000 workers gathered.

Following GM’s bleak financial reports from North America and Europe, Opel workers are increasingly concerned about their job security. In fact, many are pleading with regard to GM to spin off or sell its European brands.

“There is only one single chance, and that is spinning from Opel and Vauxhall from the GM group,” Klaus Franz, Opel’s top employee representative, told CNBC. Opel employs about 25,000 workers in Germany, with production facilities in four other European countries.

Rallies were also held at GM-owned Saab and Vauxhall facilities, with demonstrations taking place in Sweden, Britain, Austria, France, Spain and Hungary.

GM has vowed to cut its global workforce by 47,000 by the end of 2009, with 26,000 of those jobs cuts to come from outside the United States. GM is seeking $6 billion in aid from different European governments, but has received no indications that foreign loans are on the way.

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Source: www.leftlanenews.com

General Motors announced this afternoon that it plans to curtail its North American marketing package by about $800 million this year - a figure that includes vehicle incentive spending. The budget divide comes on the heels of the automaker’ high losses for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year announced earlier today.

GM says that the cuts are in response to lower sales volumes, but they raise concerns in the industry that GM could wind up in a bankruptcy court or be subject to a government reorganization.

Earlier today, GM reported a net loss of $30.9 billion for 2009, $9.6 billion of which occurred in the fourth quarter of the year.

GM has already significantly curtailed its marketing budget, including a $600 million cut after third quarter earnings were announced back in December. The automaker was heavily reliant on incentive spending in the fourth quarter to move products as consumers cut back further on their purchases.

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Source: www.leftlanenews.com