Columbus Dispatch (Enlarge photo)

04/07/2008 20:21. DETROIT -- Faced with soaring gas prices, a sputtering economy and a rapid U.S. market shift away from trucks, the U.S. auto industry's weakest player, Chrysler, might have to file for bankruptcy or sell its storied Jeep and Dodge Ram brands as early as next year, a JPMorgan analyst said yesterday.

But rivals GM and Ford are expected to get through the rough period and turn a profit in 2010.

JPMorgan auto analyst Himanshu Patel dismissed the possibility of an imminent bankruptcy at GM, saying in a conference call with investors and media that such fears "are completely overblown." The day before, GM shares slid to a 54-year low after Merrill Lynch auto analyst John Murphy wrote in a note to investors that a GM bankruptcy "is not impossible if the market continues to deteriorate and... // Columbus Dispatch