officials on its planned projects that could qualify for funding, Chu said.GM plans to emerge from bankruptcy through a sale process similar to the one used at Chrysler The new GM will be majority owned by the U.S. Treasury.”There is money there — I wouldn’t say set aside — but we are trying to stretch these dollars as far as we can,” Chu told reporters when asked about funding for GM and Chrysler.Before Tuesday’s announcement, the Obama administration had already committed almost $80 billion in emergency funding for the embattled U.S auto industry. That includes bankruptcy financing and other loans to GM and Chrysler, support for parts suppliers and an investment in GMAC LLC.Ford is the only U.S. automaker that has not received bailout funding, opting to go it alone with a strategy of cutting labor costs in negotiations with the UAW and reducing debt through market transactions.Mulally said the government loans would help Ford transform its line-up to focus more on small cars, hybrids and pure electric-drive vehicles. “It will give us a competitive advantage in that we are making the vehicles that people really want and value,” he said.Nissan qualified for the loans because its Smyrna, Tennesseeplant is over 20 years old. The Japanese automaker will use the funding to build a battery assembly facility and retool an existing line to build a new electric car starting in 2012.Tesla, based in San Carlos, California, will receive funds to bring its Model S battery-powered sedan to market. The start-up markets an electric sports car for over $100,000 but plans to slash the cost of its second model — a family sedan — by almost half.Founder Elon Musk, who has said Tesla could turn profitable by next month, called the federal funding a vote of confidence.”In order to put to rest any question of business viability we thought it was a pretty important thing to aspire to,” he said.

“Fortunately we’ve been able to achieve it.”(Additional reporting by John Crawley, Nichola Groom and Bernie Woodall; editing by John Wallace, Tim Dobbyn and Bernard Orr) Japan. NEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) – Capacity usage at U.S.steelmaker Steel Dynamics Inc. (STLD.O) has increased to above70 percent from around 45 percent eight to nine weeks ago asorders have picked up, Chief Executive Keith Busse said onTuesday. “There is a chance that we can run around 100 percent atsome point but not sure how long that could last,” Busse saidat a steel conference organized by American Metal Market. Busse said the current increase in orders came becausecustomers were running out of inventory, not because end usersare demanding more steel.. NEW YORK, June 23 /PRNewswire/ — FamilyCord, one of the nation’s leadingprivate cord blood banks, is proud to announce their title sponsorship of theWBLI 106.1 Baby Shower event where 250 pregnant New York area listeners willbe joining Dana DiDonato for a day of fun, prizes, and education on June 28.

FamilyCord will be giving a presentation on the importance of storing cordblood to protect newborns against 70 life-threatening diseases. Leading up tothe event, FamilyCord will be offering a special $400 off promotion for newclients who mention the WBLI 106.1 promotion code V0609BLI when enrolling.FamilyCord, and its parent company, California Cryobank, congratulate Dana andall the other New York mothers-to-be celebrating the day together. For moreinformation on banking cord blood stem cells, or to enroll with FamilyCord,please visit , or call 888-828-CORD (2673).SOURCEFamilyCord; California CryobankFamilyCord, 1-888-828-2673. * Ford to get $5.9 bln, Nissan $1.6 bln, Tesla $465 mln Stocks  |  Bonds  |  Japan * Additional loans planned in next several months * U.S. in talks with GM, Chrysler on technology loans (Adds reaction from GM, detail from Nissan, quote from Tesla,background on program) By Kevin Krolicki DEARBORN, Mich., June 23 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co (F.N)will receive nearly $5.9 billion in U.S. government loans tobuild fuel-efficient vehicles as the Obama administrationdeepened its commitment to reshaping the cash-strapped autoindustry.

Japan’s Nissan Motor Co Ltd will receive $1.6 billion andstart-up Tesla Motors Inc will receive $465 million in low-costloans to build all-electric cars in the first wave of financingfrom an Energy Department program intended to offset the costmeeting sharply higher new fuel economy standards. “By supporting key technologies and sound business plans,we can jump-start the production of fuel-efficient vehicles inAmerica,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said at an event atFord’s sprawling engineering and product development campus. “These investments will come back to our country many timesover by creating new jobs, reducing our dependence on oil, andreducing our greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. The Energy Department has $17 billion remaining in fundingunder a program first authorized by Congress in 2007. Chu saidthe agency would work quickly to approve further loans in thecoming months to other auto companies. The announcement of the first round of funding at Fordrepresented a win for the automaker, the United Auto Workersunion and Michigan’s congressional delegation after an intenselobbying effort to get the long-stalled funding approved. One of the conditions of receiving the subsidized loans wasa determination of viability.