GM predicts modest pretax profit gain this year

General Motors Co. Said today it expects a modest gain in pretax profits this year as global sales growth slows.
The No 1 US automaker joined others in forecasting slower growth in the red-hot US market. Still, GM and industry analysts expect sales to reach or exceed 16 million for the first time since 2007.
GM said it plans to use profits from the US and China now its largest market to boost weaker parts of its business. For instance, it will spend an estimated USD 1.1 billion to restructure its European operations.
"We're taking advantage of the strength in the US and China to engage in other areas such as our international operations," GM's president, Dan Ammann, said on a conference call with reporters. Ammann said GM's restructuring costs should drop off significantly in 2015.