Soon, owners of pre-1985 cars will get the right to part-exchange their jalopies for a small, quiet, clean auto metropolitano, to be built by General Motors.

ECONOMIST: Mexico

Dirty habits die hard and the only way to encourage auto makers to adopt clean technology is a short sharp shock in the fuel price.

FORBES: Dirty Little Habits: Cleaning Up The Auto Industry

Ford is turning paint fumes--the scourge of any auto manufacturing plant--into clean electricity.

FORBES: Paint Power

But the key point is that Chapter 11 would have provided an orderly workout, giving the auto makers the legal protection to clean up balance sheets, modify contracts and restructure under due process.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: Halftime in Detroit