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Depreciation, Amortization and Impairments Property, net (Tables) | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2012
Property, net [Abstract] |
DepreciationAmortizationAndImpairmentOnPropertyPlantAndEquipmentandEquipmentonOperatingLeases [Table Text Block] | The following table summarizes depreciation, amortization and impairment charges related to Property, net, Equipment on operating leases, net and GM Financial equipment on operating leases, net (dollars in millions):
| Three Months Ended March 31,
| 2012 |  | 2011
Depreciation and amortization of long-lived assets | $ | 892 |  |  | $ | 928 |
Impairment charges of long-lived assets(a) | $ | 31 |  |  | $ | 26 |
Depreciation of equipment on operating leases | $ | 92 |  |  | $ | 80 |
Impairment charges of equipment on operating leases | $ | 55 |  |  | $ | 39 |
__________
(a) | The fair value of related assets was determined to be $0 in the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 measured utilizing Level 3 inputs. Fair value measurements of long-lived assets utilized projected cash flows discounted at a rate commensurate with the perceived business risks related to the assets involved.
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure [Table Text Block] | The following table summarizes equipment on operating leases to daily rental car companies measured at fair value using Level 3 inputs on a nonrecurring basis (dollars in millions):
|  |  | Fair Value Measurements on a Nonrecurring Basis
| Fair Value Measures |  | Level 1 |  | Level 2 |  | Level 3
Three months ended March 31, 2012 | $ | 937 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 937 |
Three months ended March 31, 2011 | $ | 926 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 926 |
Impairment of vehicles leased to daily rental car companies with guaranteed repurchase obligations is determined to exist if the expected cash flows are lower than the carrying amount of the vehicle. We have multiple, distinct portfolios of vehicles leased to rental car companies and may have multiple impairments within a period. Expected cash flows include all estimated net revenue and costs associated with the sale to daily rental car companies through disposal at auction. The fair value measurements are determined, reviewed and approved on a monthly basis by personnel with appropriate knowledge of transactions with daily rental car companies and auction transactions. The following table summarizes the significant quantitative unobservable inputs and assumptions used in the fair value measurement of Equipment on operating leases, net in the three months ended March 31, 2012 (dollars in millions):
| Valuation Technique |  | Significant Unobservable Input |  | Amount
Impaired equipment on operating leases | Cash flow |  | Estimated net revenue |  | $ | 960 |
|  |  | Estimated cost |  | $ | 1,015 |
The following table summarizes the significant quantitative unobservable inputs and assumptions used in the fair value measurement of the derivatives at March 31, 2012:
|  | Valuation Technique |  | Significant Unobservable Input |  | Metric
Commodity |  | Discounted cash flow |  | Coal forward price in EUR(a) |  | €106.22
|  |  |  | Heavy fuel oil forward price in EUR(a) |  | €512.78
|  |  |  | Supplier nonperformance risk (average) |  | 3.68%
Embedded |  | Discounted cash flow |  | Average EUR/TRY forward exchange rate(b) |  | €2.86
|  |  |  | Volume commitment and vehicle mix in EUR(c) |  | €1.0 billion
__________
(a) | Forward prices are estimated to be equivalents of the spot price as published by a governmental agency.
(b) | Calculated by adjusting market forward rates for the spread between current market and Turkish central bank spot prices.
(c) | Volume commitment is spread evenly on a monthly basis and vehicle mix is pursuant to management forecasts

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- Definition DepreciationAmortizationAndImpairmentOnPropertyPlantAndEquipment and Equipment on Operating Leases [Table Text Block] + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the fair value measurement of assets and liabilities which includes [financial] instruments measured at fair value that are classified in stockholders' equity. Such assets and liabilities may be measured on a recurring or nonrecurring basis. The disclosures which may be required or desired include: (1) for assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, disclosure may include: (a) the fair value measurements at the reporting date; (b) the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurements in their entirety fall, segregating fair value measurements using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1), significant other observable inputs (Level 2), and significant unobservable inputs (Level 3); (c) for fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances, separately presenting changes during the period attributable to the following: (i) total gains or losses for the period (realized and unrealized), segregating those gains or losses included in earnings (or changes in net assets), and a description of where those gains or losses included in earnings (or changes in net assets) are reported in the statement of income (or activities); (ii) purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements (net); (iii) transfers in and transfers out of Level 3 (for example, transfers due to changes in the observability of significant inputs); (d) the amount of the total gains or losses for the period in subparagraph (c) (i) above included in earnings (or changes in net assets) that are attributable to the change in unrealized gains or losses relating to those assets and liabilities still held at the reporting date and a description of where those unrealized gains or losses are reported in the statement of income (or activities); (e) the valuation technique(s) used to measure fair value and a discussion of changes in valuation techniques, if any, during the period and (2) for assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis (for example, impaired assets) disclosure may include, in addition to (a) above: (a) the reasons for the fair value measurements recorded; (b) the same as (b) above; (c) for fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), a description of the inputs and the information used to develop the inputs; and (d) the valuation technique(s) used to measure fair value and a discussion of changes, if any, in the valuation technique(s) used to measure similar assets and/or liabilities in prior periods. Where the quoted price in an active market for the identical liability is not available, the Level 1 input is the quoted price of an identical liability when traded as an asset. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 820 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6925170&loc=d3e19279-110258 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 157 -Paragraph 32 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 157 -Paragraph 33 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 107 -Paragraph 10 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 820 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 5 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6925170&loc=d3e19296-110258 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 820 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6925170&loc=d3e19207-110258 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 157 -Paragraph 6 -Footnote 4 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 820 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6925170&loc=d3e19190-110258 + Details
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