GM axes dealers

General Motors has told about 1,100 US dealers – one in five – that they will be axed by late next year, adding to the economic pain radiating from the beleaguered Detroit car makers to cities and towns across the country.

Including Chrysler’s decision a day earlier to eliminate a quarter of its own, about 1,900 dealerships learned in a matter of 48 hours that they would be forced either to sell fewer brands or close when their contracts end late next year.