Reuters – Chrysler LLC is rapidly burning through cash and being driven to prepare for a possible break-up if it can’t clinch a merger with General Motors Corp or get government funding needed to ride out the economic crisis, people with knowledge of the situation said.
Without new funding or a wrenching restructuring, executives have raised concern about the automaker’s ability to finance its operations from existing cash beyond the first half of 2009, said the sources, who were not authorized to discuss Chrysler’s performance.
Chrysler has had to pay out over $100 million a month to support strained suppliers on top of a total $200 million support to sales through dealers in August and September as it suspended vehicle lease financing, the sources said.
