Auto Industry Bailout, Fiat | featured news

The Treasury Department said Thursday it has exited its investment in Chrysler LLC after Italian automaker Fiat SpA purchased the U.S. government's remaining holdings in the auto company.

The Treasury Department said on Thursday it reached an agreement to sell its remaining 6 percent equity stake in Chrysler to Italy's Fiat in a deal that will net Washington $560 million.

The Obama administration remains focused on bringing Chrysler and Fiat into a working partnership, a U.S. official said on Thursday, dismissing a news report that the U.S. car-maker faced imminent bankruptcy.

The moves come less than an hour after Obama tells the two carmakers to take another stab at redesigning their companies, a requisite for receiving more federal funds.

Less than an hour after President Obama said a major overhaul was needed to save the auto industry, Chrysler announced that it had formed the framework of an alliance with Fiat, while at General Motors Corp., new leaders took charge after the chairman was forced to step down