General Motors (GM 0.49%) has come a long way since its collapse into bankruptcy in 2009. With help from U.S. taxpayers and some much-improved products, GM today is financially healthy and on a global upswing.

But it isn't as profitable as rivals like Volkswagen (VWAGY 0.21%) and Toyota (TM -1.84%), and CEO Dan Akerson is pushing hard to close that gap. In this video, Fool contributor John Rosevear looks at GM's plan to improve its profit margins in North America -- and notes that the plan is likely to take a page or two from old rival Ford (F -1.46%).