How Safe Is General Motors' Dividend?

Auto stocks are the classic cyclical stocks: Profits swell during economic upswings, driving stock prices upward -- but when the economy turns down, profits can shrink, or even swing to losses.

That makes automakers like General Motors (NYSE: GM) a conundrum for dividend-minded investors. GM's dividend yield is quite good at the moment, but will GM's dividend get cut or disappear entirely during the next recession?

Let's take a closer look at GM to see whether its dividend is one that we can rely on over the longer term.

Source: Fool.com