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With six straight months of improved sales of cars like the locally built Chevy Cobalt, the CEO of General Motors told workers at a plant in Kansas City Wednesday the automaker's recovery from bankruptcy is headed in the right direction.

In announcing plans to pump a quarter of a billion dollars into the plant, Ed Whitacre said GM's fortunes have improved so well, the automaker this week managed to pay off more than $8 billion in loans the company received from the U.S. and Canadian governments last June, plus interest.

The payment is five years ahead of GM's original repayment schedule and two months before a June 30 deadline the company announced back in January.

Cobalt sales are up almost 75 percent over the same first quarter last year, making it GM's third bestselling car. Whitacre also pointed to the launch of new models like the locally-built Chevy Cruze as keys to the company's future. But he also admitted the automaker's problems are far from over.
"We still have a lot of hard work ahead of us," he said.

Specifically, the company must still repay more than $53 billion that was invested in exchange for big stakes in GM. Whitacre said sale of GM stock will cover that with an initial public offering possibly coming later this year.

Immediately following the satellite feed from the Kansas auto plant, General Motors aired a brand new commercial starring Whitacre.

The ad stresses GM's repayment of the loans from the U.S. and Canada as well as the automaker's focus on the future.

The 60-second spot is already playing around the country.