WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has abandoned the idea of naming a "car czar" to help oversee the U.S. auto industry's restructuring, instead creating an inter-agency task force to deal with the issue, according to senior administration officials.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers, who heads the National Economic Council, will jointly oversee the task force, with Mr. Geithner managing the $17.4 billion in federal loan agreements between the auto makers and the U.S. government.

As a condition of receiving government aid, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC are required to submit extensive restructuring plans and concession commitments from unions and bondholders by Feb. 17 to a presidential designee, commonly dubbed the czar.

The administration has decided to forgo naming one individual to oversee the process. Treasury is expected to bring in Ron Bloom, a special assistant to the president of United Steelworkers union and a former investment banker, as a senior adviser to help handle auto-related issues, these people said.

The hiatus, in which the industry awaited the car czar, slowed progress in restructuring talks between auto makers, bondholders and the United Auto Workers union, according to people familiar with the matter. Without someone firmly in charge, the various stakeholders haven't felt compelled to come to the bargaining table, these people said.

Even without a car czar, GM and Chrysler have been in daily talks with Obama administration officials about issues related to the loans they received, and are getting guidance on the restructuring plans they are crafting, according to people involved in the process.

The auto companies were given the loans as bridge financing to help them through tough economic times and their own missteps while working on plans to make their industries more viable for the long-term. Government officials think both GM and Chrysler may soon need more money.

GM is expected to tell the government it needs billions more in bailout money to fund the company's operations or federal assistance as part of a bankruptcy filing.

It isn't clear whether the administration may ultimately appoint financier Steven Rattner, who was a leading contender to become the car czar, to some position in which he's involved in the auto issue. Mr. Rattner, a lead player at private-equity firm Quadrangle, had been involved in policy discussions related to the autos with the administration, according to people familiar with the matter.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and other union leaders had expressed concern about the delay in naming an auto czar and its impact on the companies' restructuring plans, said a person familiar with the matter.

The czar had been expected to be in place by the middle of February and work with experts to analyze the restructuring plans submitted by GM and Chrysler.

Write to Deborah Solomon at deborah.solomon@wsj.com