US automakers came under White House pressure on Sunday to make painful choices as a deadline loomed this week for cap-in-hand General Motors and Chrysler to present their recovery plans to the government.

The long-term fate of the auto industry rests with Barack Obama, now that President George W Bush has given car companies $17.4 billion in emergency rescue loans.

Stock prices pared earlier gains to end a choppy day relatively flat, as Wall Street remained uncertain that a $ 17.4 billion lifeline for US automakers will make a lasting difference for the beleaguered industry.

The White House weighed its options on Saturday for preventing a collapse of the troubled auto industry, once the backbone of the US economy.

Canada has agreed to issue some $2.8 billion in aid to the country's auto sector once the United States agrees on a rescue plan for its carmakers, authorities said on Friday.