Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits

Employee Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

Defined Benefit Pension Plans Defined benefit pension plans covering eligible U.S. hourly employees (hired prior to October 2007) and Canadian hourly employees (hired prior to October 2016) generally provide benefits of negotiated, stated amounts for each year of service and supplemental benefits for employees who retire with 30 years of service before normal retirement age. The benefits provided by the defined benefit pension plans covering eligible U.S. (hired prior to January 1, 2001) and Canadian salaried employees and employees in certain other non-U.S. locations are generally based on years of service and compensation history. Accrual of defined pension benefits ceased in 2012 for U.S. and Canadian salaried employees. There is also an unfunded nonqualified pension plan covering primarily U.S. executives for service prior to January 1, 2007 and it is based on an “excess plan” for service after that date.

The funding policy for qualified defined benefit pension plans is to contribute annually not less than the minimum required by applicable laws and regulations or to directly pay benefit payments where appropriate. In the year ended December 31, 2017 all legal funding requirements were met. In the year ended December 31, 2016 we made a discretionary contribution to our U.S. hourly pension plan of $2.0 billion. The following table summarizes contributions made to the defined benefit pension plans:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2017		2016		2015
U.S. hourly and salaried	$	77	$	2,054	$	95
Non-U.S.	1,153		1,022		1,108
Total	$	1,230	$	3,076	$	1,203

We expect to contribute approximately $70 million to our U.S. non-qualified plans and approximately $900 million to our non-U.S. pension plans in 2018.

Based on our current assumptions, over the next five years we expect no significant mandatory contributions to our U.S. qualified pension plans and mandatory contributions totaling $1.2 billion to our Canada and U.K. pension plans.

Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Certain hourly and salaried defined benefit plans provide postretirement medical, dental, legal service and life insurance to eligible U.S. and Canadian retirees and their eligible dependents. Certain other non-U.S. subsidiaries have postretirement benefit plans, although most non-U.S. employees are covered by government sponsored or administered programs. We made contributions to the U.S. OPEB plans of $323 million, $335 million and $340 million in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. Plan participants' contributions were insignificant in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Defined Contribution Plans We have defined contribution plans for eligible U.S. salaried and hourly employees that provide discretionary matching contributions. Contributions are also made to certain non-U.S. defined contribution plans. We made contributions to our defined contribution plans of $650 million, $589 million and $530 million in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Significant Plan Amendments, Benefit Modifications and Related Events

Other Remeasurements The Society of Actuaries (SOA) issued new mortality improvement tables in the three months ended December 31, 2017. These did not result in any change in our current assumptions to measure our December 31, 2017 U.S. pension plan obligations. We incorporated the mortality improvement tables issued by the SOA in the three months ended December 31, 2016 that lowered life expectancies and thereby indicated the amount of estimated aggregate benefit payments to our U.S. pension plans' participants was decreasing. This change in assumption decreased the December 31, 2016 U.S. pension and OPEB plans' obligations by $888 million.

Pension and OPEB Obligations and Plan Assets



	Year Ended December 31, 2017									Year Ended December 31, 2016
	Pension Benefits						Global OPEB Plans			Pension Benefits						Global OPEB Plans
	U.S.			Non-U.S.			Global OPEB Plans			U.S.			Non-U.S.			Global OPEB Plans
Change in benefit obligations
Beginning benefit obligation	$	68,827		$	21,156		$	6,180		$	71,486		$	21,008		$	6,066
Service cost	203			180			19			220			255			18
Interest cost	2,145			473			202			2,212			527			201
Actuarial losses	2,885			561			311			416			1,328			230
Benefits paid	(5,067		)	(1,369		)	(426		)	(5,507		)	(1,458		)	(400		)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	—			1,953			78			—			(445		)	45
Curtailments, settlements and other	(543		)	(165		)	10			—			(59		)	20
Ending benefit obligation	68,450			22,789			6,374			68,827			21,156			6,180
Change in plan assets
Beginning fair value of plan assets	61,622			12,799			—			61,072			12,794			—
Actual return on plan assets	6,549			1,025			—			4,004			750			—
Employer contributions	77			1,153			406			2,054			1,022			378
Benefits paid	(5,067		)	(1,369		)	(426		)	(5,507		)	(1,458		)	(400		)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	—			1,007			—			—			(229		)	—
Settlements and other	(542		)	(120		)	20			(1		)	(80		)	22
Ending fair value of plan assets	62,639			14,495			—			61,622			12,799			—
Ending funded status	$	(5,811	)	$	(8,294	)	$	(6,374	)	$	(7,205	)	$	(8,357	)	$	(6,180	)
Amounts recorded in the consolidated balance sheets
Non-current assets	$	—		$	67		$	—		$	—		$	91		$	—
Current liabilities	(71		)	(355		)	(376		)	(73		)	(316		)	(377		)
Non-current liabilities	(5,740		)	(8,006		)	(5,998		)	(7,132		)	(8,132		)	(5,803		)
Net amount recorded	$	(5,811	)	$	(8,294	)	$	(6,374	)	$	(7,205	)	$	(8,357	)	$	(6,180	)
Amounts recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Net actuarial gain (loss)	$	114		$	(4,163	)	$	(1,186	)	$	55		$	(3,852	)	$	(901	)
Net prior service (cost) credit	23			(26		)	55			27			(30		)	54
Total recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	137		$	(4,189	)	$	(1,131	)	$	82		$	(3,882	)	$	(847	)

The following table summarizes the total accumulated benefit obligations (ABO), the ABO and fair value of plan assets for defined benefit pension plans with ABO in excess of plan assets, and the PBO and fair value of plan assets for defined benefit pension plans with PBO in excess of plan assets:



	December 31, 2017				December 31, 2016
	U.S.		Non-U.S.		U.S.		Non-U.S.
ABO	$	68,437	$	22,650	$	68,813	$	20,836
Plans with ABO in excess of plan assets
ABO	$	68,437	$	21,679	$	68,813	$	20,172
Fair value of plan assets	$	62,639	$	13,408	$	61,622	$	12,046
Plans with PBO in excess of plan assets
PBO	$	68,450	$	21,822	$	68,827	$	20,458
Fair value of plan assets	$	62,639	$	13,411	$	61,622	$	12,009

The following table summarizes the components of net periodic pension and OPEB expense along with the assumptions used to determine benefit obligations:



	Year Ended December 31, 2017									Year Ended December 31, 2016									Year Ended December 31, 2015
	Pension Benefits						Global OPEB Plans			Pension Benefits						Global OPEB Plans			Pension Benefits						Global OPEB Plans
	U.S.			Non-U.S.			Global OPEB Plans			U.S.			Non-U.S.			Global OPEB Plans			U.S.			Non-U.S.			Global OPEB Plans
Components of expense
Service cost	$	315		$	199		$	19		$	381		$	273		$	18		$	406		$	306		$	24
Interest cost	2,145			473			202			2,212			527			201			2,754			689			238
Expected return on plan assets	(3,677		)	(750		)	—			(3,778		)	(733		)	—			(3,896		)	(794		)	—
Amortization of net actuarial (gains) losses	(6		)	157			23			(25		)	137			19			8			188			37
Curtailments, settlements and other(a)	(37		)	8			(5		)	(4		)	16			(13		)	(4		)	141			(14		)
Net periodic pension and OPEB (income) expense	$	(1,260	)	$	87		$	239		$	(1,214	)	$	220		$	225		$	(732	)	$	530		$	285
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations(b)
Discount rate	3.53		%	2.66		%	3.52		%	3.92		%	2.88		%	3.93		%	4.06		%	3.36		%	4.13		%
Weighted-average assumptions used to determine net expense(b)
Discount rate	3.35		%	2.94		%	3.39		%	3.36		%	3.14		%	3.49		%	3.73		%	3.30		%	3.83		%
Expected rate of return on plan assets	6.23		%	5.82		%	N/A			6.33		%	6.07		%	N/A			6.38		%	6.32		%	N/A

_________


(a)	The curtailment charges recorded in the year ended December 31, 2015 were due primarily to the GM Canada hourly pension plan that was remeasured as a result of a voluntary separation program.


(b)	The rate of compensation increase does not have a significant effect on our U.S. pension and OPEB plans.

U.S. pension plan service cost includes administrative expenses and Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation premiums which were insignificant in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. Weighted-average assumptions used to determine net expense are determined at the beginning of the period and updated for remeasurements. Non-U.S. pension plan administrative expenses included in service cost were insignificant in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Estimated amounts to be amortized from Accumulated other comprehensive loss into net periodic benefit cost in the year ending December 31, 2018 based on December 31, 2017 plan measurements are $166 million, consisting primarily of amortization of the net actuarial loss in the non-U.S. pension plans.

Assumptions

Investment Strategies and Long-Term Rate of Return Detailed periodic studies are conducted by our internal asset management group as well as outside actuaries and are used to determine the long-term strategic mix among asset classes, risk mitigation strategies and the expected long-term return on asset assumptions for the U.S. pension plans. The U.S. study includes a review of alternative asset allocation and risk mitigation strategies, anticipated future long-term performance and risk of the individual asset classes that comprise the plans' asset mix. Similar studies are performed for the significant non-U.S. pension plans with the assistance of outside actuaries and asset managers. While the studies incorporate data from recent plan performance and historical returns, the expected long-term return on plan asset assumptions are determined based on long-term prospective rates of return.

We continue to pursue various options to fund and de-risk our pension plans, including continued changes to the pension asset portfolio mix to reduce funded status volatility. The strategic asset mix and risk mitigation strategies for the plans are tailored specifically for each plan. Individual plans have distinct liabilities, liquidity needs and regulatory requirements. Consequently there are different investment policies set by individual plan fiduciaries. Although investment policies and risk mitigation strategies may differ among plans, each investment strategy is considered to be appropriate in the context of the specific factors affecting each plan.

In setting new strategic asset mixes, consideration is given to the likelihood that the selected asset mixes will effectively fund the projected pension plan liabilities, while aligning with the risk tolerance of the plans' fiduciaries. The strategic asset mixes for U.S. defined benefit pension plans are increasingly designed to satisfy the competing objectives of improving funded positions (market value of assets equal to or greater than the present value of the liabilities) and mitigating the possibility of a deterioration in funded status.

Derivatives may be used to provide cost effective solutions for rebalancing investment portfolios, increasing or decreasing exposure to various asset classes and for mitigating risks, primarily interest rate, equity and currency risks. Equity and fixed income managers are permitted to utilize derivatives as efficient substitutes for traditional securities. Interest rate derivatives may be used to adjust portfolio duration to align with a plan's targeted investment policy and equity derivatives may be used to protect equity positions from downside market losses. Alternative investment managers are permitted to employ leverage, including through the use of derivatives, which may alter economic exposure.

In December 2017 an investment policy study was completed for the U.S. pension plans. As a result of changes to our capital market assumptions, the weighted-average long-term rate of return on assets increased from 6.2% at December 31, 2016 to 6.6% at December 31, 2017. The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets used in determining pension expense for non-U.S. plans is determined in a similar manner to the U.S. plans.

Target Allocation Percentages The following table summarizes the target allocations by asset category for U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans:



	December 31, 2017				December 31, 2016
	U.S.		Non-U.S.		U.S.		Non-U.S.
Equity	15	%	18	%	15	%	21	%
Debt	61	%	56	%	61	%	51	%
Other(a)	24	%	26	%	24	%	28	%
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%	100	%

__________


(a)	Primarily includes private equity, real estate and absolute return strategies which mainly consist of hedge funds.

Assets and Fair Value Measurements The following tables summarize the fair value of U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plan assets by asset class:



	December 31, 2017								December 31, 2016
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
U.S. Pension Plan Assets
Common and preferred stocks	$	8,892	$	17	$	2	$	8,911	$	8,288	$	35	$	3	$	8,326
Government and agency debt securities(a)	—		12,116		—		12,116		—		11,374		—		11,374
Corporate and other debt securities	—		26,122		—		26,122		—		25,452		—		25,452
Other investments, net	552		119		395		1,066		486		288		403		1,177
Net plan assets subject to leveling	$	9,444	$	38,374	$	397	48,215		$	8,774	$	37,149	$	406	46,329
Plan assets measured at net asset value
Investment funds							6,632								6,509
Private equity and debt investments							3,539								4,012
Real estate investments							3,351								3,634
Total plan assets measured at net asset value							13,522								14,155
Other plan assets, net(b)							902								1,138
Net plan assets							$	62,639							$	61,622



	December 31, 2017									December 31, 2016
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Non-U.S. Pension Plan Assets
Common and preferred stocks	$	578	$	1	$	6	$	585		$	978	$	3	$	—	$	981
Government and agency debt securities(a)	—		3,853		—		3,853			—		3,221		—		3,221
Corporate and other debt securities	—		2,566		—		2,566			—		2,040		3		2,043
Other investments, net	23		149		438		610			37		153		429		619
Net plan assets subject to leveling	$	601	$	6,569	$	444	7,614			$	1,015	$	5,417	$	432	6,864
Plan assets measured at net asset value
Investment funds							5,346									4,428
Private equity and debt investments							570									546
Real estate investments							1,097									1,092
Total plan assets measured at net asset value							7,013									6,066
Other plan assets (liabilities), net(b)							(132		)							(131		)
Net plan assets							$	14,495								$	12,799

__________


(a)	Includes U.S. and sovereign government and agency issues.


(b)	Cash held by the plans, net of amounts receivable/payable for unsettled security transactions and payables for investment manager fees, custody fees and other expenses.

The activity attributable to U.S. and non-U.S. Level 3 defined benefit pension plan investments was insignificant in the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Investment Fund Strategies Investment funds include hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, equity funds and fixed income funds. Hedge funds and funds of hedge funds managers typically seek to achieve their objectives by allocating capital across a broad array of funds and/or investment managers. Equity funds invest in U.S. common and preferred stocks as well as similar equity securities issued by companies incorporated, listed or domiciled in developed and/or emerging market countries. Fixed income funds include investments in high quality funds and, to a lesser extent, high yield funds. High quality fixed income funds invest in government securities, investment-grade corporate bonds and mortgage and asset-backed securities. High yield fixed income funds invest in high yield fixed income securities issued by corporations which are rated below investment grade. Other investment funds also included in this category primarily represent multi-strategy funds that invest in broadly diversified portfolios of equity, fixed income and derivative instruments.

Private equity and debt investments primarily consist of investments in private equity and debt funds. These investments provide exposure to and benefit from long-term equity investments in private companies, including leveraged buy-outs, venture capital and distressed debt strategies.

Real estate investments include funds that invest in entities which are primarily engaged in the ownership, acquisition, development, financing, sale and/or management of income-producing real estate properties, both commercial and residential. These funds typically seek long-term growth of capital and current income that is above average relative to public equity funds.

Significant Concentrations of Risk The assets of the pension plans include certain investment funds, private equity and debt investments and real estate investments. Investment managers may be unable to quickly sell or redeem some or all of these investments at an amount close or equal to fair value in order to meet a plan's liquidity requirements or to respond to specific events such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of any particular issuer or counterparty.

Illiquid investments held by the plans are generally long-term investments that complement the long-term nature of pension obligations and are not used to fund benefit payments when currently due. Plan management monitors liquidity risk on an ongoing basis and has procedures in place that are designed to maintain flexibility in addressing plan-specific, broader industry and market liquidity events.

The pension plans may invest in financial instruments denominated in foreign currencies and may be exposed to risks that the foreign currency exchange rates might change in a manner that has an adverse effect on the value of the foreign currency denominated assets or liabilities. Forward currency contracts may be used to manage and mitigate foreign currency risk.

The pension plans may invest in debt securities for which any change in the relevant interest rates for particular securities might result in an investment manager being unable to secure similar returns upon the maturity or the sale of securities. In addition changes to prevailing interest rates or changes in expectations of future interest rates might result in an increase or decrease in the fair value of the securities held. Interest rate swaps and other financial derivative instruments may be used to manage interest rate risk.

Benefit Payments Benefits for most U.S. pension plans and certain non-U.S. pension plans are paid out of plan assets rather than our Cash and cash equivalents. The following table summarizes net benefit payments expected to be paid in the future, which include assumptions related to estimated future employee service:



	Pension Benefits				Global OPEB Plans
	U.S. Plans		Non-U.S. Plans		Global OPEB Plans
2018	$	5,288	$	1,458	$	379
2019	$	5,053	$	1,323	$	374
2020	$	4,895	$	1,302	$	368
2021	$	4,758	$	1,276	$	365
2022	$	4,639	$	1,233	$	362
2023 - 2027	$	21,553	$	5,759	$	1,817