Henderson shown the door

DETROIT: General Motors Co's Chief Executive Fritz Henderson abruptly resigned on Tuesday (local time), after the company's board decided the automaker needed to push its restructuring faster under new leadership.

Henderson was asked by the board to step down at a meeting in Detroit after being on the job for just eight months, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

GM Chairman Ed Whitacre, 68, will become interim chief executive as the automaker begins an immediate search for a replacement, the company said.