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General Motors took a $3.6bn hit to earnings from a strike last year and has consequently forecast flat profits for the year ahead.

The car giant reported a $200m loss in the fourth quarter on revenue that slumped 19.7% to $30.8bn.

The strike, which lasted from September to October, cost the company four weeks of production in the fourth quarter, reducing wholesale units by 191,000 from the same period a year earlier.

Chief financial officer Dhivya Suryadevara said that, excluding the six-week strike, 2019 showed “very strong operating performance. With the strike, it was in line with the guidance we gave late last year”.