AUTOS

GM Plans to Prune Dealers: The Detroit auto maker said it plans to eliminate about 1,500 of its 8,500 dealers under a plan to consolidate its dealership network. General Motors Corp. spokesman Tom Klipstine said the plan was previously announced as part of the auto maker’s Project 2000, which seeks to move dealerships closer to where customers live. GM did not disclose how many dealers would be affected until Thursday. Its goal to prune the number of dealerships and combine others does not have an exact date of completion. GM is considering asking its strongest dealers to buy out others, but that plan could hampered by state franchising laws. GM has about 22,150 individual franchises representing the auto maker’s Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC and Saturn divisions.