NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Feb. 24, 2011--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it views General Motors Co.'s (BB-/Positive/--) fourth-quarter earnings, announced today, as consistent with our rating and outlook on the company. The automaker announced a consolidated pretax profit of $1.6 billion for the fourth quarter, versus a loss in the fourth quarter of 2009. Operating results benefited in 2010 from significant improvements in profitability in North America, but fourth-quarter results were weaker, as we expected, than those in the first three quarters of the year. Fourth-quarter North American EBIT margin was 3.6%, lower than the margin in the first three quarters of 2010; global EBIT margin was 2.7%. Still, we believe GM's consolidated global automotive operations
