Washington  - Congressional leaders will spend the weekend seeking a solution to a stalemate over how to help the US automotive industry survive the economic recession.

A second day of hearings with car executives ended Friday with no apparent agreement on the industry's request for 34 billion dollars in federal aid.

President George W Bush urged legislators to put a bill together by next week amid warnings that General Motors Corp, the world's largest carmaker, may not last beyond this year without help from the government.

Congressional leaders made no such promises, insisting they would only bring a bail-out bill to the floor of the Senate or House of Representatives if it had enough votes to be approved.

TOKYO, Dec. 5  -- The Honda Motor Co. Friday announced it has withdrawn its sponsorship on the Formula One auto racing circuit because of "widespread economic uncertainties."

Honda's chief executive officer, Takeo Fukui, said at a Tokyo news conference Friday the company -- the world's largest automaker -- experienced a 34 percent sales drop in November from last year, and that its F1 racing team is for sale.

Washington  - The last time the United States' three top automotive executives travelled from Detroit to Washington to plea for a federal bail-out, they flew each in their own corporate jets.

It was a public relations nightmare. One legislator noted the "delicious irony" of living the high life while asking for billions in emergency federal assistance.

Taking their case before Congress a second time on Thursday - seeking 34 billion dollars to help stave off bankruptcy - it appeared the group had learned its lesson.

"I'm proud to say that I drove a hybrid here from Detroit, and it performed - the technology performed extremely well," said Rob Nardelli, Chrysler chief executive.

MIAMI, Dec. 4  -- U. S. automobile sales are at a 15-year low, forcing many dealerships out of business, an industry trade association said.

Chairwoman of the National Automobile Dealers Association Annette Sykora said 19,700 dealerships could survive through the end of the year, a drop of about 900 since January and a dramatic shift from the 50,000 U. S. dealerships that were around in the 1940s, CNN reported Thursday.

"Many displaced dealership families might have to leave town in search of work in other places, compounding the loss. This same scene would play out in hundreds of communities in the U. S.," Sykora said.

Washington  - US carmakers General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC Thursday said they would be willing to consider a merger as a condition for receiving a federal bail-out.

The idea was suggested by US lawmakers during a committee hearing on the three US carmakers' request for 34 billion dollars in federal aid to avoid bankruptcy in the midst of an economic recession.

Chrysler chief executive Rob Nardelli said he would accept the requirement if it meant saving his 80-year-old company.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4  -- Plans for energy-efficient cars, fewer showrooms and shared sacrifice were aired Thursday by the three U. S. automakers seeking emergency funding from Congress.

Chief executives told the U. S. Senate Banking Committee that they needed bridge financing to help them whether tough financial times brought on by the swooning U. S. economy, telling the panel that they would agree to be subject to a decision-making, proactive, government-appointed board that the Government Accounting Office recommended.

All three auto executives pledged to cut costs and share concessions across all constituencies, as well as explain that they needed a bridge loan now to avoid potential collapse.