Feds Close Books on Auto Bailout
The U.S. government lost $9.26 billion in its financial rescue of the auto industry, and closed out its last investment earlier this month six years after initiating the plan.
The U.S. government lost $9.26 billion in its financial rescue of the auto industry, and closed out its last investment earlier this month six years after initiating the plan.
The U.S. Treasury Department closed out its investment in Ally Financial on Dec. 19, selling an 11.4 percent stake in the auto lender and recovering $2.4 billion more than it invested, reports the Detroit News.
However, the bigger picture wasn't as profitable. Treasury recovered $70.43 billion of the $79.69 billion it gave to General Motors Corp., Crysler LLC, Chrysler Financial, and Ally. Ford Motor Co. declined to take financial assistance when the bailouts began in December of 2008. President George W. Bush allocated $25 billion, and President Barack Obama added another $55 billion.
The federal government's loss was better than initially expected. An early-2009 estimate put the loss at $44 billion. The Treasury Department gave final numbers in a Dec. 29 report on the program.
More Operations

Fleet Meets: Eric Kilgore
This edition of the Fleet Meets series features one of the industry's best leaders driving multi-market and national operations.
Read More →
Why Reactive Fleet Management Is Becoming Too Expensive to Sustain
Research highlights a growing need for proactive management strategies to address rising costs in fleet operations effectively.
Read More →
What Your Fleet KPIs Aren’t Telling You
Tracking fleet metrics is only useful when the data leads to better decisions. This guide helps fleet leaders assess cost, utilization, and downtime more accurately, identify performance gaps, and prioritize the actions that can improve operational results.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
Turning Fleet Payment Data into Executive Insights
Does data alone drive results in operations?
Read More →
Automotive Fleet Opens 2026 Personal Use Survey for Commercial Fleet Managers
Commercial and corporate fleet managers are invited to share how their organizations handle company vehicle personal-use policies, charges, and driver eligibility.
Read More →
Gary Van Orden Retires After Nearly Four Decades in Commercial Fleet
From answering customer calls at Ford Motor Company to leading fleet sales across multiple OEMs and a fleet management company, Gary Van Orden's career reflects nearly four decades of leadership in commercial fleet.
Read More →
How Stellantis Plans to Get Ahead of Fleet Downtime
Vehicle acquisition may grab the headlines, but fleet uptime increasingly determines operating success. Darren Bradshaw of Mopar North America gives the details.
Read More →
Hyundai Releases 2027 Commercial Program Incentives
The 2027 Model Year "Fleet Street Incentives" are available to commercial and government fleets.
Read More →
It's All Downhill from Here! Fleet Industry Raises $22,000 for Skilled Trades Scholarships
Work Truck’s Lauren Fletcher and Automotive Fleet’s Chris Brown turned a friendly racing rivalry into $22,000 for automotive technology and skilled trades scholarships.
Read More →

