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Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2017
Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation [Abstract] |
Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation | Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation General Motors Company (sometimes referred to in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as we, our, us, ourselves, the Company, General Motors or GM) designs, builds and sells cars, trucks, crossovers and automobile parts worldwide. We also provide automotive financing services through General Motors Financial Company, Inc. (GM Financial). We analyze the results of our business through the following segments: GM North America (GMNA), GM Europe (GME), GM International Operations (GMIO), GM South America (GMSA) and GM Financial. Nonsegment operations and Maven, our ride- and car-sharing business, are classified as Corporate. Corporate includes certain centrally recorded income and costs such as interest, income taxes, corporate expenditures including autonomous vehicle-related engineering costs and certain nonsegment specific revenues and expenses. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim financial information. Accordingly they do not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments, which consist of normal recurring adjustments and transactions or events discretely impacting the interim periods, considered necessary by management to fairly state our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. The operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the full year. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our 2016 Form 10-K. Except for per share amounts or as otherwise specified, dollar amounts presented within tables are stated in millions. In May 2014 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (ASU 2014-09), which requires us to recognize revenue when a customer obtains control rather than when we have transferred substantially all risks and rewards of a good or service and requires expanded disclosures. ASU 2014-09, as amended, is effective for us beginning January 1, 2018. ASU 2014-09 will affect the amount and timing of certain revenue related transactions primarily resulting from the earlier recognition of certain sales incentives and fixed fee license arrangements. Upon adoption of ASU 2014-09 sales incentives will be recorded at the time of sale rather than at the later of sale or announcement and fixed fee license arrangements will be recognized when the customer is granted access to intellectual property instead of over the contract period. Certain transactions with daily rental car companies may also qualify to be accounted for as a sale as opposed to the current accounting as an operating lease. We expect to adopt the provisions of ASU 2014-09 on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative adjustment to equity. We do not expect the adoption of ASU 2014-09 to be material to our consolidated financial statements. We continue to assess the overall impact the adoption of ASU 2014-09 will have on our consolidated financial statements, and have begun testing our processes designed to comply with ASU 2014-09 to permit adoption by January 1, 2018. In January 2016 the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, “Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities” (ASU 2016-01), which requires equity investments that are not accounted for under the equity method of accounting to be measured at fair value with changes recognized in net income and which updates certain presentation and disclosure requirements. ASU 2016-01 is effective for us beginning January 1, 2018. At March 31, 2017 the carrying value of equity investments that are not accounted for under the equity method of accounting totaled $528 million and unrealized gains or losses were insignificant. Currently we do not believe the adoption of ASU 2016-01 will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements, however changes in future market conditions and equity investment balances prior to the implementation date will affect the impact the adoption may have on our consolidated financial statements. In March 2017 the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, "Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715), Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost" (ASU 2017-07), which requires that the service cost component of net periodic pension and other postretirement benefits (OPEB) (income) expense be presented in the same income statement line item as other employee compensation costs, while the remaining components of net periodic pension and OPEB (income) expense are to be presented outside operating income. ASU 2017-07 is effective for us on a retrospective basis beginning January 1, 2018. The effect of adopting ASU 2017-07 will be the reclassification of the non-service cost components from primarily Automotive cost of sales to Interest income and other non-operating income, net. As a result, upon adoption we expect a decrease to Operating income and an increase to Interest income and other non-operating income, net of approximately $1.2 billion and $380 million for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the nature of an entity's business, the major products or services it sells or provides and its principal markets, including the locations of those markets as well as the basis of presentation and significant accounting policies concepts. If the entity operates in more than one business, the disclosure also indicates the relative importance of its operations in each business and the basis for the determination (for example, assets, revenues, or earnings). Basis of presentation describes the underlying basis used to prepare the financial statements (for example, US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Other Comprehensive Basis of Accounting, IFRS). Accounting policies describe recently adopted accounting standards and accounting standards not yet adopted. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation + References No definition available. + Details
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