Vauxhall owner GM, which is in the worse condition, is to cut 47,000 jobs including those already announced last year and has told the US government it now needs a total of $30bn in loans rather than the $18.4bn it requested late last year. It is expected that some of those jobs will go in the UK as half of the jobs lost will be outside of the US.
It also fears its Sweden-based Saab unit may end up filing for bankruptcy if it does not secure an aid package from the Swedish government. It is still attempting to sell Saab and its Hummer division, which it said it will close if it has not sold by March 31.
GM is to cut its line-up of main domestic brands to four -- Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC -- by reducing investment in its Pontiac division and phasing out its Saturn brand by 2011.
Chrysler was the other manufacturer submitting a restructuring plan to the US government, which required the information as a condition of lending $17.4bn to the two companies in December.
Chrysler, which received $4bn to GM's $13.4bn, has now requested an additional $5bn and said it would further reduce its workforce by 3,000 on top of the 32,000 jobs it has shed since January 2007.
It also plans to stop producing three models from this year -- the PT Cruiser, the Chrysler Aspen and the Dodge Durango.
It still wants to tie up with Italian manufacturer Fiat but claims it is viable as a standalone company.