General Motors Corporation (GM) on Wednesday received $4 billion from the US government, the first tranche of a $13.4-billion emergency loan package, even as the treasury held back a parallel rescue package for Chrysler LLC.

Talks, however, are continuing on a similar loan to Chrysler and the treasury is expected to finalise the loan soon, company sources said.

GM will receive an additional $5.4 billion in the middle of January and would be eligible for another $4 billion in February - a total of $13.4 billion.

Chrysler sources, meanwhile, said discussions over the loan have been positive and productive and a deal was likely in the near future.

The treasury had also disbursed $6 billion to GMAC, the automotive finance company aligned with GM.  GMAC is now 51-per cent owned by Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that also owns Chrysler.

The two carmakers together are expected to receive $17.4 billion in loan assistance. Money will come from the $770 billion government bail-out fund originally prepared for the failed banks and financial institutions.

GM will get $13.4 billion and Chrysler the remaining $4 billion under the plan worked out by the carmakers and the treasury.

Both Chrysler and GM will have to submit restructuring plans to the government by mid-February and demonstrate that they are viable by end-March.

Early this month, the US government had offered to use an unused part of the first tranche of the financial sector bailout package to help GM and Chrysler stave off collapse due to credit problems and dismal sales.

Reports, meanwhile, quoted treasury sources as saying that it was working expeditiously with Chrysler to finalise the transaction and that it remained committed to the loan programme.

GM and Chrysler sought government aid to meet payouts to suppliers amidst a plunge in auto sales.

Another Detroit major Ford Motor Co has not sought any government bail-out but has asked for a $9 billion line of credit it could tap if conditions worsen.