| Schedule of segment reporting information, by segment [Table Text Block] |
The following tables summarize key financial information by segment (dollars in millions): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | At and For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2015 | | GMNA | | GME | | GMIO | | GMSA | | Corporate | | Eliminations | | Total Automotive | | GM Financial | | Eliminations | | Total | Net sales and revenue | $ | 27,794 |
| | $ | 4,556 |
| | $ | 3,016 |
| | $ | 1,738 |
| | $ | 36 |
| | | | $ | 37,140 |
| | $ | 1,707 |
| | $ | (4 | ) | | $ | 38,843 |
| Income (loss) before automotive interest and taxes-adjusted | $ | 3,293 |
| | $ | (231 | ) | | $ | 269 |
| | $ | (217 | ) | | $ | (247 | ) | | | | $ | 2,867 |
| | $ | 231 |
| | $ | (2 | ) | | $ | 3,096 |
| Adjustments(a) | $ | 7 |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | (7 | ) | | $ | — |
| | $ | (1,500 | ) | | | | $ | (1,500 | ) | | $ | — |
| | $ | — |
| | (1,500 | ) | Automotive interest income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 40 |
| Automotive interest expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (112 | ) | Net (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (18 | ) | Income before income taxes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,506 |
| Income tax expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (165 | ) | Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 18 |
| Net income attributable to stockholders | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 1,359 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Total assets | $ | 94,744 |
| | $ | 10,531 |
| | $ | 21,324 |
| | $ | 7,708 |
| | $ | 21,718 |
| | $ | (24,765 | ) | | $ | 131,260 |
| | $ | 59,692 |
| | $ | (1,952 | ) | | $ | 189,000 |
| Depreciation, amortization and impairment of long-lived assets and finite-lived intangible assets | $ | 1,009 |
| | $ | 139 |
| | $ | 117 |
| | $ | 56 |
| | $ | 4 |
| | $ | (1 | ) | | $ | 1,324 |
| | $ | 657 |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | 1,981 |
|
| | (a) | Consists primarily of charges for various legal matters of approximately $1.5 billion related to the ignition switch recall in Corporate. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | At and For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2014 | | GMNA | | GME | | GMIO | | GMSA | | Corporate | | Eliminations | | Total Automotive | | GM Financial | | Eliminations | | Total | Net sales and revenue | $ | 25,816 |
| | $ | 5,226 |
| | $ | 3,716 |
| | $ | 3,202 |
| | $ | 39 |
| | | | $ | 37,999 |
| | $ | 1,261 |
| | $ | (5 | ) | | $ | 39,255 |
| Income (loss) before automotive interest and taxes-adjusted | $ | 2,452 |
| | $ | (387 | ) | | $ | 259 |
| | $ | (32 | ) | | $ | (233 | ) | | | | $ | 2,059 |
| | $ | 205 |
| | $ | (1 | ) | | $ | 2,263 |
| Adjustments(a) | $ | (132 | ) | | $ | (194 | ) | | $ | 2 |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | — |
| | | | $ | (324 | ) | | $ | 3 |
| | $ | — |
| | (321 | ) | Automotive interest income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 50 |
| Automotive interest expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (96 | ) | Gain on extinguishment of debt | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Net (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (29 | ) | Income before income taxes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,869 |
| Income tax expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (427 | ) | Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 29 |
| Net income attributable to stockholders | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 1,471 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Total assets | $ | 96,668 |
| | $ | 11,463 |
| | $ | 21,797 |
| | $ | 10,933 |
| | $ | 29,417 |
| | $ | (34,999 | ) | | $ | 135,279 |
| | $ | 43,762 |
| | $ | (2,133 | ) | | $ | 176,908 |
| Depreciation, amortization and impairment of long-lived assets and finite-lived intangible assets | $ | 1,023 |
| | $ | 282 |
| | $ | 206 |
| | $ | 92 |
| | $ | 20 |
| | $ | (1 | ) | | $ | 1,622 |
| | $ | 248 |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | 1,870 |
|
__________ | | (a) | Consists primarily of charges related to flood damage of $132 million in GMNA; and property and intangible asset impairment charges of $194 million related to our Russian subsidiaries in GME. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 | | GMNA | | GME | | GMIO | | GMSA | | Corporate | | Eliminations | | Total Automotive | | GM Financial | | Eliminations | | Total | Net sales and revenue | $ | 78,951 |
| | $ | 13,992 |
| | $ | 9,181 |
| | $ | 5,939 |
| | $ | 111 |
| | | | $ | 108,174 |
| | $ | 4,576 |
| | $ | (15 | ) | | $ | 112,735 |
| Income (loss) before automotive interest and taxes-adjusted | $ | 8,255 |
| | $ | (515 | ) | | $ | 989 |
| | $ | (575 | ) | | $ | (768 | ) | | | | $ | 7,386 |
| | $ | 670 |
| | $ | (7 | ) | | $ | 8,049 |
| Adjustments(a) | $ | 36 |
| | $ | (354 | ) | | $ | (394 | ) | | $ | (720 | ) | | $ | (1,725 | ) | | | | $ | (3,157 | ) | | $ | — |
| | $ | — |
| | (3,157 | ) | Automotive interest income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 130 |
| Automotive interest expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (330 | ) | Net (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (32 | ) | Income before income taxes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4,660 |
| Income tax expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (1,271 | ) | Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 32 |
| Net income attributable to stockholders | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 3,421 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Depreciation, amortization and impairment of long-lived assets and finite-lived intangible assets | $ | 3,143 |
| | $ | 378 |
| | $ | 643 |
| | $ | 239 |
| | $ | 12 |
| | $ | (3 | ) | | $ | 4,412 |
| | $ | 1,496 |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | 5,908 |
|
__________ | | (a) | Consists primarily of net insurance recoveries related to flood damage of $36 million in GMNA; costs related to the change in our business model in Russia of $354 million in GME and $96 million in GMIO, which is net of noncontrolling interests; asset impairment charges of $297 million related to our Thailand subsidiaries in GMIO; Venezuela currency devaluation of $604 million and asset impairment charges of $116 million related to our Venezuela subsidiaries in GMSA; and charges related to the ignition switch recall including the compensation program of $225 million and various legal matters of approximately $1.5 billion in Corporate. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014 | | GMNA | | GME | | GMIO | | GMSA | | Corporate | | Eliminations | | Total Automotive | | GM Financial | | Eliminations | | Total | Net sales and revenue | $ | 75,891 |
| | $ | 16,820 |
| | $ | 10,548 |
| | $ | 9,404 |
| | $ | 113 |
| | | | $ | 112,776 |
| | $ | 3,549 |
| | $ | (13 | ) | | $ | 116,312 |
| Income (loss) before automotive interest and taxes-adjusted | $ | 4,394 |
| | $ | (976 | ) | | $ | 826 |
| | $ | (269 | ) | | $ | (576 | ) | | | | $ | 3,399 |
| | $ | 684 |
| | $ | (3 | ) | | $ | 4,080 |
| Adjustments(a) | $ | (1,006 | ) | | $ | (194 | ) | | $ | (19 | ) | | $ | (419 | ) | | $ | (400 | ) | | | | $ | (2,038 | ) | | $ | 11 |
| | $ | — |
| | (2,027 | ) | Automotive interest income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 155 |
| Automotive interest expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (299 | ) | Gain on extinguishment of debt | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 47 |
| Income before income taxes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,958 |
| Income tax benefit | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 51 |
| Net (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (47 | ) | Net income attributable to stockholders | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 1,962 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Depreciation, amortization and impairment of long-lived assets and finite-lived intangible assets | $ | 3,336 |
| | $ | 506 |
| | $ | 482 |
| | $ | 297 |
| | $ | 55 |
| | $ | (3 | ) | | $ | 4,673 |
| | $ | 623 |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | 5,296 |
|
__________ | | (a) | Consists primarily of a catch-up adjustment related to the change in estimate for recall campaigns of $874 million and charges related to flood damage of $132 million in GMNA; property and intangible asset impairment charges of $194 million related to our Russian subsidiaries in GME; Venezuela currency devaluation of $419 million in GMSA; and a charge related to the ignition switch recall compensation program of $400 million in Corporate. |
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