GM prepares to exit bankruptcy Friday

By Caroline Humer and Kevin Krolicki

NEW YORK/DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors GMGMQ.PK prepared to announce its exit from bankruptcy on Friday after a 40-day reorganization under U.S. government backing that wiped away most of the debt and recurring costs that drove the 100-year-old automaker to crisis.

A court order allowing GM's key assets to be sold to a new company that will be more than 60 percent-owned by the U.S. Treasury took effect on Thursday and the risk of a complicating legal appeal appeared to fade.

The close of the court-approved sale would mark the completion of an unprecedented effort by the Obama administration to save GM and Chrysler from liquidation by slashing debt, labour costs and dealerships.

The White House has also disbursed almost $80 billion (48.9 billion pounds) to shore up the auto industry, including $5 billion in support for auto parts suppliers.

Chrysler exited bankruptcy a month ago after blazing a precedent-setting trail for GM by following an asset sale plan that gave operational control of the smaller automaker to Italy's Fiat (FIA.MI).

GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson and Ed Whitacre, a veteran telecommunications executive who will become chairman, were scheduled to appear Friday at the automaker's Detroit headquarters to mark the launch of a new GM.

"The new company can only be good," said Mark LaNeve, GM's sales chief, who was speaking to reporters in Washington.

"I'm very much looking forward to the point where we're operating in the clean air and the name of the company not being associated with bankruptcy," he said.