Chrysler cash down to $6.1 billion

The $11.7 billion cash reserve that played such a prominent role in the furor over a possible merger of Chrysler and General Motors is just about half gone. Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli said the company has burned through $5 billion in the first nine months of the year, including about $1 billion a month in the third quarter as revenues declined with the sharp downturn in the U.S. auto market. Nardelli says Chrysler now has about $6.1 billion and will be close to running out of cash by the end of the year.