FACTBOX - General Motors before and after bankruptcy

DETROIT (Reuters) - A new General Motors emerged from bankruptcy on Friday, 40 days after it filed for court protection, as a leaner automaker pledging to win back consumers and pay back taxpayers.

The new GM, created from the old GM's strongest assets including Chevrolet and Cadillac, has a healthier balance sheet, lower labour costs, fewer brands and a significantly reduced break-even point.

Details of how GM's operations have changed follow.

* BALANCE SHEET

The new GM has U.S. debt of about $11 billion (6.8 billion pounds), which excludes preferred stock of $9 billion.

That represents a reduction of more than $40 billion in obligations that consist mostly of unsecured debt and a healthcare trust for union hourly retirees, known as VEBA.

* OWNERSHIP

The old GM was a publicly traded company.

The U.S. Treasury owns 60.8 percent of the new GM, the VEBA healthcare trust has a 17.5 percent stake, and Canada and Ontario governments 11.7 percent. The remaining 10 percent goes to the old GM to pay off unsecured creditors.

GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson said on Friday the automaker plans to return as a publicly traded company next year.

* EMPLOYEES

U.S. employment will decline to about 64,000 at the end of 2009, from about 91,000 at the end of 2008.

* BRANDS, DEALERS, PLANTS

The new GM is built on four core brands which account for more than 80 percent of the automaker's sales: Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick.

Saab, Hummer and Saturn remain in the old company and are in the process of being sold or wind down. Pontiac also is being wound down.

GM expects to have 3,600 dealerships by the end of 2010, down from nearly 6,000 dealerships as of May.