A Dark Vector Cognition product

Item 1. Business

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Item 1. Business

General Motors Company (sometimes referred to as we, our, us, ourselves, the Company, General Motors, or GM) was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in 2009. We design, build and sell cars, trucks, crossovers and automobile parts worldwide. We also provide automotive financing services through General Motors Financial Company, Inc. (GM Financial). Except for per share amounts or as otherwise specified, amounts presented within tables are stated in millions.

Automotive Our automotive operations meet the demands of our customers through our automotive segments: GM North America (GMNA), GM Europe (GME), GM International Operations (GMIO) and GM South America (GMSA).

GM primarily meets the demands of customers in North America with vehicles developed, manufactured and/or marketed under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC brands. GM primarily meets the demands of customers outside North America with vehicles developed, manufactured and/or marketed under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall brands. We also have equity ownership stakes in regional joint ventures (JVs), which meet the demands of customers in Asia with vehicles developed, manufactured and/or marketed under the Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Jiefang and Wuling brands.

In addition to the vehicles we sell through our dealer network to retail customers, we also sell vehicles directly or through our dealer network to fleet customers, including daily rental car companies, commercial fleet customers, leasing companies and governments. Our customers can obtain a wide range of aftersale vehicle services and products through our dealer network, such as maintenance, light repairs, collision repairs, vehicle accessories and extended service warranties.

Competitive Position and Vehicle Sales The principal factors that determine consumer vehicle preferences in the markets in which we operate include overall vehicle design, price, quality, available options, safety, reliability, fuel economy and functionality. Market leadership in individual countries in which we compete varies widely. We present both wholesale and retail vehicle sales data to assist in the analysis of our revenue and our market share.

Wholesale vehicle sales data, which represents sales directly to dealers and others, including sales to fleet customers, is the measure that correlates to our revenue from the sale of vehicles, which is the largest component of Automotive net sales and revenue. Wholesale vehicle sales exclude vehicles sold by joint ventures. In the year ended December 31, 2016, 46.3% of our wholesale vehicle sales volume was generated outside the U.S. The following table summarizes total wholesale vehicle sales of new vehicles by automotive segment (vehicles in thousands):

Years ended December 31,
201620152014
GMNA3,95863.4%3,55860.5%3,32055.0%
GME1,16218.6%1,12719.2%1,17219.4%
GMIO5598.9%58810.0%65510.9%
GMSA5689.1%60310.3%88614.7%
Worldwide6,247100.0%5,876100.0%6,033100.0%

Retail vehicle sales data, which represents sales to end customers based upon the good faith estimates of management, including sales to fleet customers, does not correlate directly to the revenue we recognize during the period. However retail vehicle sales data is indicative of the underlying demand for our vehicles. Market share information is based primarily on retail vehicle sales volume. In countries where retail vehicle sales data is not readily available other data sources, such as wholesale or forecast volumes, are used to estimate retail vehicle sales to end customers.

Retail vehicle sales data includes all sales by joint ventures on a total vehicle basis, not based on the percentage of ownership in the joint venture. Certain joint venture agreements in China allow for the contractual right to report vehicle sales of non-GM trademarked vehicles by those joint ventures. Retail vehicle sales data includes vehicles used by dealers under courtesy transportation programs and vehicles sold through the dealer registration channel primarily in Europe. This sales channel consists primarily of dealer demonstrator, loaner and self-registered vehicles which are not eligible to be sold as new vehicles after being registered by dealers. Certain fleet sales that are accounted for as operating leases are included in retail vehicle sales at the time of delivery to daily rental car companies. The following table summarizes total industry retail sales, or estimated sales where retail sales volume is not available, of vehicles and our related competitive position by geographic region (vehicles in thousands):

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Years Ended December 31,
201620152014
IndustryGMMarket ShareIndustryGMMarket ShareIndustryGMMarket Share
North America
United States17,8823,04317.0%17,8543,08217.3%16,8592,93517.4%
Other3,98958714.7%3,65053114.5%3,37547814.2%
Total North America21,8713,63016.6%21,5043,61316.8%20,2343,41316.9%
Europe
United Kingdom3,1212899.3%3,06331210.2%2,84530510.7%
Germany3,7092607.0%3,5402446.9%3,3572377.1%
Other13,3796584.9%12,7046204.9%12,5037195.7%
Total Europe(a)20,2091,2076.0%19,3071,1766.1%18,7051,2616.7%
Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa
China(b)28,2703,91413.8%25,0503,73014.9%24,0353,54014.7%
Other18,9056733.6%19,5277954.1%19,7228404.3%
Total Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa47,1754,5879.7%44,5774,52510.2%43,7574,38010.0%
South America
Brazil2,04834616.9%2,56838815.1%3,49857916.6%
Other1,62323814.6%1,61625715.9%1,81529916.5%
Total South America3,67158415.9%4,18464515.4%5,31387816.5%
Total Worldwide(c)92,92610,00810.8%89,5729,95911.1%88,0099,93211.3%
United States
Cars6,89589012.9%7,48393112.4%7,6171,08514.2%
Trucks5,4641,32524.2%5,1811,27424.6%4,7541,11323.4%
Crossovers5,52382815.0%5,19087716.9%4,48873716.4%
Total United States17,8823,04317.0%17,8543,08217.3%16,8592,93517.4%
China(b)
SGMS1,8061,7111,710
SGMW and FAW-GM2,1082,0191,830
Total China28,2703,91413.8%25,0503,73014.9%24,0353,54014.7%

(a)Our Europe sales include Opel and Vauxhall sales of 1,159, 1,113 and 1,078, and market share of 5.7%, 5.8% and 5.8% in the years ending December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.
(b)Our China sales include the Automotive China JVs SAIC General Motors Sales Co., Ltd. (SGMS), SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Co., Ltd. (SGMW) and FAW-GM Light Duty Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd. (FAW-GM). Wholesale volumes were used for Industry, GM and Market Share. Our retail sales in China were 3,871, 3,613 and 3,435 in the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014. In 2017, we will begin using vehicle registrations data as the basis for calculating industry volume and market share in China on a prospective basis.
(c)We do not currently export vehicles to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria. Accordingly these countries are excluded from industry sales data and corresponding calculation of market share.

In the year ended December 31, 2016 we estimate we had the largest market share in North America and South America, the number three market share in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, which included the number two market share in China, and the number eight market share in Europe. In the year ended December 31, 2016 the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region was our largest region by retail vehicle sales volume and represented 45.8% of our global retail vehicle sales. Refer to the Overview in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) for discussion on changes in market share by region.

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

The sales and market share data provided in the table above includes both fleet vehicle sales and sales to retail customers. Certain fleet transactions, particularly sales to daily rental car companies, are generally less profitable than sales to retail customers. A significant portion of the sales to daily rental car companies are recorded as operating leases under U.S. GAAP with no recognition of revenue at the date of initial delivery due to guaranteed repurchase obligations. The following table summarizes estimated fleet sales and those sales as a percentage of total retail vehicle sales (vehicles in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,
201620152014
GMNA707795814
GME551544505
GMIO369345414
GMSA157121176
Total fleet sales1,7841,8051,909
Fleet sales as a percentage of total retail vehicle sales17.8%18.1%19.2%

The following table summarizes U.S. fleet sales (vehicles in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,
201620152014
Daily rental sales327400449
Other fleet sales269278255
Total fleet sales596678704
Fleet sales as a percentage of total U.S. retail vehicle sales
Cars24.9%29.3%29.5%
Trucks19.2%19.7%21.8%
Crossovers14.6%17.5%19.1%
Total vehicles19.6%22.0%24.0%

Product Pricing Several methods are used to promote our products, including the use of dealer, retail and fleet incentives such as customer rebates and finance rate support. The level of incentives is dependent in large part upon the level of competition in the markets in which we operate and the level of demand for our products. In 2017 we plan to continue to price vehicles competitively, including offering incentives as required. We believe this strategy, coupled with sound inventory management, will continue to strengthen our brands.

Cyclical Nature of Business Retail sales are cyclical and production varies from month to month. Vehicle model changeovers occur throughout the year as a result of new market entries. The market for vehicles depends on general economic conditions, credit availability and consumer spending.

Relationship with Dealers We market vehicles worldwide primarily through a network of independent authorized retail dealers. These outlets include distributors, dealers and authorized sales, service and parts outlets.

The following table summarizes the number of authorized dealerships:

December 31, 2016December 31, 2015December 31, 2014
GMNA4,8574,8864,908
GME6,1046,3306,633
GMIO7,2327,7557,699
GMSA1,2591,2811,272
Total worldwide19,45220,25220,512

We and our joint ventures enter into a contract with each authorized dealer agreeing to sell to the dealer one or more specified product lines at wholesale prices and granting the dealer the right to sell those vehicles to retail customers from an approved

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

location. Our dealers often offer more than one GM brand at a single dealership in a number of our markets in order to enhance dealer profitability. Authorized dealers offer parts, accessories, service and repairs for GM vehicles in the product lines that they sell using GM parts and accessories. Our dealers are authorized to service GM vehicles under our limited warranty program and those repairs are made only with GM parts. Our dealers generally provide their customers with access to credit or lease financing, vehicle insurance and extended service contracts provided by GM Financial and other financial institutions.

The quality of GM dealerships and our relationship with our dealers and distributors are critical to our success as dealers maintain the primary sales and service interface with the end consumer of our products. In addition to the terms of our contracts with our dealers we are regulated by various country and state franchise laws that may supersede those contractual terms and impose specific regulatory requirements and standards for initiating dealer network changes, pursuing terminations for cause and other contractual matters.

Research, Product and Business Development and Intellectual Property Costs for research, manufacturing engineering, product engineering and design and development activities relate primarily to developing new products or services or improving existing products or services including activities related to vehicle emissions control, improved fuel economy, the safety of drivers and passengers, urban mobility and autonomous vehicles. In the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 research and development expenses were $8.1 billion, $7.5 billion and $7.4 billion.

Product Development The Product Development organization is responsible for designing and integrating vehicle and powertrain components to maximize part sharing across multiple vehicle segments. Global teams in Design, Program Management, Component & Subsystem Engineering, Product Integrity, Safety, Propulsion and Purchasing & Supply Chain collaborate to meet customer requirements and maximize global economies of scale.

Our global vehicle architecture development has been consolidated and headquartered at our Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, to further the standardization of our overall vehicle development process. Cross-segment part sharing is an essential enabler to our Vehicle Set Strategy, designed to reduce our overall number of global vehicle architectures to four major vehicle sets. As we implement the four vehicle sets, we will continue to leverage our current architecture portfolio to accommodate our customers around the world while achieving our financial goals.

Hybrid, Plug-In, Extended Range and Battery Electric Vehicles We are investing in multiple technologies offering increasing levels of vehicle electrification including eAssist, plug-in hybrid, full hybrid, extended range and battery electric vehicles. We currently offer six models in the U.S. featuring some form of electrification and continue to develop plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology and extended range electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt. In 2016 we began production and sales of the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which provides an EPA-rated 238 miles of range on a full charge.

Car- and Ride-Sharing In 2016, we executed several steps in our strategy to redefine personal mobility. In January 2016 we announced a new car-sharing service called Maven, which combines our multiple car-sharing programs under a single brand. Maven gives customers access to highly personalized, on-demand mobility services. During 2016 we expanded our Maven offerings to 16 cities across the U.S. In January 2016 we also purchased a 9% equity ownership interest in Lyft, Inc. (Lyft), a privately held company, for $0.5 billion. In March 2016 we announced a new program called Express Drive, which leverages our Lyft relationship to expand our ride-sharing offerings. Under the Express Drive program, Lyft drivers in multiple cities across the U.S. can rent General Motors vehicles on a weekly basis. We are also considering additional options to expand our ride-sharing offerings. In November 2016 we announced that we are partnering with Uber Technologies Inc. (Uber) to pilot a program under which Uber drivers can rent General Motors vehicles on a weekly basis. Additionally, we plan to develop an integrated network of on-demand autonomous vehicles in the U.S.

Autonomous Technology We see autonomous technology leading to significant advances in convenience, mobility and safety, since more than 90% of crashes are caused by driver error. We have millions of miles of real-world experience with embedded connectivity through OnStar, LLC (OnStar) and advanced safety features that are the building blocks to more advanced automation features that we believe will eventually lead to fully autonomous vehicles. An example of advanced automation is Super Cruise, a hands-free driving customer convenience feature that will debut in 2017 on the Cadillac CT6 sedan.

In May 2016 we acquired all of the outstanding capital stock of Cruise Automation Inc. (Cruise), an autonomous vehicle technology company, to further accelerate our development of autonomous vehicles. We are also actively testing autonomous vehicles on public roads in San Francisco, California, Scottsdale, Arizona and Warren, Michigan.

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Alternative Fuel Vehicles We believe alternative fuels offer significant potential to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. By leveraging experience and capability developed around these technologies in our global operations we continue to develop FlexFuel vehicles that can run on gasoline-ethanol blend fuels as well as vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

We currently offer 11 FlexFuel vehicles in the U.S. for the 2017 model year to retail customers plus an additional seven models to fleet and commercial customers capable of operating on gasoline, E85 ethanol or any combination of the two. In Brazil a substantial majority of vehicles sold were FlexFuel vehicles capable of running on 100% ethanol blends. We also market FlexFuel vehicles in other global markets where biofuels have emerged in the marketplace. In addition, we are studying ethanol-based fuels as well as other high-octane fuel blends and the role they can play in maximizing efficiencies of future internal combustion engine technology development to meet the escalating fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission regulations in the U.S. and other markets.

We produce CNG bi-fuel capable vehicles in Europe such as the Opel Zafira Tourer and the Opel Combo van. In the U.S. we are developing a program to offer a wide selection of truck and van options through a specialty vehicle manufacturing program, operating on CNG or LPG, which are suitable for fleet and commercial applications and retail customers alike. Availability is scheduled to begin in 2017. Globally, we offer CNG and LPG capable vehicles in select markets reflecting the infrastructure, regulatory focus and natural resource availability of the markets in which they are sold. We support the development of biodiesel blend fuels, which are alternative diesel fuels produced from renewable sources.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology As part of our long-term strategy to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions we are committed to development of our hydrogen fuel cell technology. Our Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell electric vehicle demonstration programs, such as Project Driveway, have accumulated more than 3 million miles of real-world driving by consumers, celebrities, business partners and government agencies. These programs are helping us identify consumer and infrastructure needs to understand the business case for potential production of vehicles with this technology. We are exploring non-traditional automotive uses for fuel cells in several areas, including demonstrations with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy.

We signed a co-development agreement with Honda Motor Company in October 2016 for a next-generation fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technologies, aiming for the 2020 timeframe for commercialization. The collaboration expects to succeed by sharing expertise, economies of scale and common sourcing strategies and builds upon GM's and Honda Motor Company's strengths as leaders in hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Fuel Efficiency We are committed to improving fuel efficiency and meeting regulatory standards through a combination of strategies including: (1) extensive technology improvements to conventional powertrains; (2) increased use of smaller displacement engines and improved and advanced automatic transmissions; and (3) vehicle improvements including increased use of lighter, front-wheel drive architectures.

OnStar OnStar is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GM serving more than 7.2 million subscribers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China (through a joint venture), South America and Europe. OnStar is a provider of connected safety, security and mobility solutions and advanced information technology and is available on the majority of our 2017 model year vehicles. OnStar's key services include automatic crash response, stolen vehicle assistance, remote door unlock, turn-by-turn navigation, vehicle diagnostics, hands-free calling and 4G LTE wireless connectivity.

Intellectual Property We generate and hold a significant number of patents in a number of countries in connection with the operation of our business. While none of these patents are individually material to our business as a whole, these patents are important to our operations and continued technological development. We hold a number of trademarks and service marks that are very important to our identity and recognition in the marketplace.

Raw Materials, Services and Supplies We purchase a wide variety of raw materials, parts, supplies, energy, freight, transportation and other services from numerous suppliers to manufacture our products. The raw materials primarily include steel, aluminum, resins, copper, lead and platinum group metals. We have not experienced any significant shortages of raw materials and normally do not carry substantial inventories of such raw materials in excess of levels reasonably required to meet our production requirements.

In some instances, we purchase systems, components, parts and supplies from a single source and may be at an increased risk for supply disruptions. The inability or unwillingness of these sources to supply us with parts and supplies could have a material adverse effect on our production capacity. Refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors for further discussion of these risks. Combined purchases

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

from our two largest suppliers have ranged from approximately 11% to 12% of our total purchases in the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Environmental and Regulatory Matters

Automotive Emissions Control We are subject to laws and regulations that require us to control automotive emissions, including vehicle exhaust emission standards, vehicle evaporative emission standards and onboard diagnostic (OBD) system requirements. Advanced OBD systems are used to identify and diagnose problems with emission control systems. Problems detected by the OBD system and in-use compliance monitoring may increase warranty costs and the likelihood of recall. Emission and OBD requirements become more stringent each year as vehicles must meet lower emission standards and new diagnostics are required throughout the world with very little harmonization of global regulations. Zero emission vehicle (ZEV) requirements have been adopted by some U.S. states as well as the Canadian Province of Quebec and there is the possibility that additional jurisdictions could adopt ZEV requirements in the future. While we believe all our products are designed and manufactured in material compliance with substantially all vehicle emissions requirements, regulatory authorities may conduct ongoing evaluations of the emissions compliance of products from all manufacturers. This includes vehicle emissions testing, including CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions testing, and review of emission control strategies.

The U.S. federal government imposes stringent emission control requirements on vehicles sold in the U.S. and various state governments impose additional requirements. Canada’s federal government vehicle emission requirements are generally aligned with the U.S. federal requirements. Each model year we must obtain certification for each test group that our vehicles will meet emission requirements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before we can sell vehicles in the U.S. and Canada and from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) before we can sell vehicles in California and other states that have adopted the California emissions requirements.

CARB's latest emission requirements include more stringent exhaust emission and evaporative emission standards including an increase in ZEVs which must be offered for sale in California. CARB has adopted 2018 model year and later requirements for increasing volumes of ZEVs to achieve greenhouse gas as well as criteria pollutant emission reductions to help achieve the state's long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals. The EPA has adopted similar exhaust emission and evaporative emission standards which phase in with the 2017 model year, but do not include ZEV requirements. These new requirements will also increase the time and mileage periods over which manufacturers are responsible for a vehicle's emission performance.

The Clean Air Act permits states that have areas with air quality compliance issues to adopt the California car and light-duty truck emission standards in lieu of the federal requirements. Thirteen states currently have these standards in effect and 10 of these 13 states have adopted the ZEV requirements.

Emissions in the European Union are regulated by the European Commission (EC) and by governmental authorities in each European Union Member State (EU Member States). The EC imposes emission control requirements on vehicles sold in all 28 EU Member States. We must demonstrate that vehicles will meet emission requirements from an approval authority in one EU Member State before we can sell vehicles in any EU Member State. The regulatory requirements include random testing of newly assembled vehicles and a manufacturer in-use surveillance program. The European Union requirements are equivalent in terms of stringency and implementation to the framework of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

The existing level of European Union exhaust emission standards for cars and light-duty trucks, Euro 6, was effective in 2014 for new vehicle approvals and 2015 for new vehicle registrations. Future emission standards focus particularly on further reducing emissions from diesel vehicles by introducing new testing criteria based on “real world driving” emissions (RDE). RDE tests will become effective in 2017. The new requirements will require additional technologies and further increase the cost of diesel engines, which currently cost more than gasoline engines to manufacture. To comply with RDE tests we believe it will be necessary to implement technologies which will introduce additional cost pressures on the already challenging European Union market for small and mid-size diesel vehicles. Declines in diesel penetration may make fleet CO2 compliance more challenging. Gasoline engines are also affected by the new requirements. The potential implementation of technology into gasoline vehicles to reduce exhaust pollutant emissions may further increase the cost of gasoline engines and could have adverse effects on vehicle fuel economy.

In addition, increased scrutiny of compliance with emissions standards may result in changes to these standards, including the implementation of RDE tests, as well as stricter interpretations or redefinition of these standards and more rigorous enforcement. This may lead to increased costs, penalties, lack of certainty with respect to product portfolio planning, negative publicity or reputation impact for us. Refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors for further discussion of these risks.

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

In the long-term, we expect that the EC will continue devising regulatory requirements on the emission test cycle, RDE, low temperature testing, fuel evaporation and OBD.

China has implemented European type China 4 standards nationally with European OBD requirements for new vehicle registrations. Cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou each currently require China 5 standards for new vehicle registrations. China implemented the China 5 standards for light duty gasoline nationwide at the beginning of 2017. The China 5 standards include more stringent emission requirements and increase the time and mileage periods over which manufacturers are responsible for a vehicle's emission performance. China officially released a unique China 6 emission standard with the potential to combine elements of both European and U.S. standards. Local implementation is expected as early as 2018. Nationwide implementation for new registrations is expected in July 2020 for the base China 6a standard and July 2023 for the more stringent China 6b standard.

In South America certain countries follow the U.S. test procedures, standards and OBD requirements and others follow the European Union test procedures, standards and OBD requirements with different levels of stringency. Brazil implemented national L6 standards for light diesel vehicles in 2012 and OBD installation for light diesel vehicles in 2015. L6 standards for light gasoline vehicles were implemented in 2015 for all models.

Automotive Fuel Economy In the U.S., Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) reporting is required for three separate fleets: domestically produced cars, imported cars and light-duty trucks. Both car and light-duty truck standards were established using targets for various vehicle sizes and vehicle model sales volumes. In 2017 our domestic car standard is estimated to be 38.1 mpg, our import car standard is estimated to be 41.7 mpg, and our light-duty truck standard is estimated to be 27.6 mpg. Our current product plan is expected to be compliant with the federal CAFE program through the 2017 model year. In addition to federal CAFE reporting, the EPA requires compliance with greenhouse gas requirements that are similar to the CAFE program. Our current product plan is expected to be compliant with the federal greenhouse gas program through the 2017 model year. CARB has agreed that compliance with the federal program is deemed to be compliant with the California program for the 2012 through 2017 model years. Although Canada has no parallel CAFE-style fuel economy regulations there are Canadian greenhouse gas regulations that are aligned with the U.S. EPA regulations and Canadian fleets are expected to be compliant with these regulations through the 2017 model year. We regularly evaluate our current and future product plans and strategies for compliance with fuel economy and greenhouse gas regulations.

Unlike other jurisdictions, the European Union's climate change policy framework focuses on fleet average CO2 emissions rather than fuel economy. The European Union has implemented legislation regulating fleet average CO2 emissions in Europe and has adopted an even more stringent fleet average CO2 target for 2020. Requirements must be met through the introduction of CO2 reducing technologies on conventional gasoline and diesel engines or through ultra-low CO2 vehicles. We are developing a compliance plan by adopting operational CO2 targets for each market entry in Europe. The EC will also devise regulatory requirements on the CO2 emission test cycle as of 2017.

China has both an individual vehicle pass-fail type approval requirement based on Phase 3 standards and a fleet fuel consumption requirement based on Phase 4 standards effective in 2016. The China Phase 4 fleet fuel consumption standard is based on curb weight with full compliance to 5.0 L/100 km required by 2020. China has continued subsidies for plug-in hybrid, battery electric and fuel cell vehicles. China proposes a Phase 5 fleet fuel consumption standard effective beginning in 2021 with full compliance to 4.0L/100km required by 2025.

In Brazil the government has set fuel economy requirements called Inovar Auto. Original equipment manufacturers have mandatory fleet average compliance required by October 2017 resulting in a reduction from 2012 levels. The Brazilian government provides indirect tax incentives to eligible participant companies that meet certain requirements including these fuel economy targets. The level of potential indirect tax incentives varies based on the timing and degree to which the targets are met. Participating companies that fail to meet the required criteria are subject to clawback provisions and specific fines.

Industrial Environmental Control Our operations are subject to a wide range of environmental protection laws including those regulating air emissions, water discharge, waste management and environmental cleanup. Certain environmental statutes require that responsible parties fund remediation actions regardless of fault, legality of original disposal or ownership of a disposal site. Under certain circumstances these laws impose joint and several liability as well as liability for related damages to natural resources.

To mitigate the effects our worldwide operations have on the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste disposal, we are committed to converting as many of our worldwide operations as possible to landfill-free operations. At December 31, 2016, 100 (or approximately 60%) of our manufacturing operations were landfill-free. Additionally we have 52

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

non-manufacturing operations that are landfill-free. At our landfill-free manufacturing operations approximately 90% of waste materials are reused or recycled and approximately 10% are converted to energy at waste-to-energy facilities. Including construction, demolition and remediation wastes, we estimate that we reused, recycled or composted over 2.5 million metric tons of waste materials at our global manufacturing operations, converted over 137,000 metric tons of waste materials to energy at waste-to-energy facilities and avoided approximately 9 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the year ended December 31, 2016.

In addition to minimizing our impact on the environment our landfill-free program and total waste reduction commitments generate revenue from the sale of production by-products, reduce our use of material, reduce our carbon footprint and help to reduce the risks and financial liabilities associated with waste disposal.

We continue to search for ways to increase our use of renewable energy and improve our energy efficiency and work to drive growth and scale of renewables. We have committed to meeting the electricity needs of our operations worldwide with renewable energy by 2050. At December 31, 2016 we had implemented projects globally that had increased our total renewable energy capacity to over 167 megawatts. In 2016 we also met the EPA Energy Star Challenge for Industry (EPA Challenge) at 12 of our sites globally by reducing energy intensity an average of 18% at these sites. To meet the EPA Challenge industrial sites must reduce energy intensity by 10% in five years or fewer. Two of the sites achieved the goal for the first time, bringing the total number of GM-owned sites to have met the EPA Challenge to 75, with many sites achieving the goal multiple times. These efforts minimize our utility expenses and are part of our approach to addressing climate change through setting a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, collecting accurate data, following our business plan and publicly reporting progress against our target.

Chemical Regulations We continually monitor the implementation of chemical regulations to maintain compliance and evaluate their effect on our business, suppliers and the automotive industry.

Governmental agencies in both the U.S. and Canada continue to introduce new regulations and legislation related to the selection and use of chemicals or substances of concern by mandating broad prohibitions, green chemistry, life cycle analysis and product stewardship initiatives. These initiatives give broad regulatory authority to ban or restrict the use of certain chemical substances and potentially affect automobile manufacturers' responsibilities for vehicle components at the end of a vehicle's life, as well as chemical selection for product development and manufacturing. Chemical restrictions in Canada are progressing rapidly as a result of Environment Canada’s Chemical Management Plan to assess existing substances and implement risk management controls on any chemical deemed toxic. In June 2016, the U.S. enacted the Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act that grants the EPA more authority to regulate and ban chemicals from use in the U.S. and is expected to increase the level of regulation of chemicals in vehicles. These emerging regulations will potentially lead to increases in costs and supply chain complexity. We believe that we are materially in compliance with substantially all of these requirements or expect to be materially in compliance by the required date.

In 2007 the European Union implemented its regulatory requirements, the EU REACH regulation among others, to register, evaluate, authorize and restrict the use of chemical substances. This regulation requires chemical substances manufactured in or imported into the European Union to be registered with the European Chemicals Agency before 2018. Under this regulation, “substances of very high concern” may either require authorization for further use or may be restricted in the future. This could potentially increase the cost of certain alternative substances that are used to manufacture vehicles and parts, or result in a supply chain disruption when a substance is no longer available to meet production timelines. Our research and development initiatives may be used to address future requirements. We believe that we are materially in compliance with substantially all of these requirements or expect to be materially in compliance by the required date.

There are various regulations in China stipulating the requirements for chemical management. Among other things, these regulations catalogue and restrict the use and the import and export of various chemical substances. The failure of our joint venture partners or our suppliers to comply with these regulations could disrupt production in China or prevent our joint venture partners from selling the affected products in the China market.

Safety In the U.S. the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 prohibits the sale of any new vehicle or equipment in the U.S. that does not conform to applicable vehicle safety standards established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). If we or NHTSA determine that either a vehicle or vehicle equipment does not comply with a safety standard or if a vehicle defect creates an unreasonable safety risk the manufacturer is required to notify owners and provide a remedy. We are required to report certain information relating to certain customer complaints, warranty claims, field reports and notices and claims involving property damage, injuries and fatalities in the U.S. and claims involving fatalities outside the U.S. We are also required to report certain information concerning safety recalls and other safety campaigns outside the U.S.

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Outside the U.S. safety standards and recall regulations often have the same purpose as the U.S. standards but may differ in their requirements and test procedures, adding complexity to regulatory compliance.

Automotive Financing - GM Financial GM Financial is our global captive automotive finance company and our global provider of automobile finance solutions. GM Financial conducts its business in North America, Europe, South America and through a joint venture in China.

GM Financial provides retail loan and lease lending across the credit spectrum. Additionally GM Financial offers commercial products to dealers that include new and used vehicle inventory financing, inventory insurance, working capital, capital improvement loans, and storage center financing.

In North America GM Financial's retail automobile finance programs include prime and sub-prime lending and full credit spectrum leasing. The sub-prime lending program is primarily offered to consumers with FICO scores less than 620 who have limited access to automobile financing through banks and credit unions and is expected to sustain a higher level of credit losses than prime lending. The leasing product is offered through our franchised dealers and primarily targets prime consumers leasing new vehicles. GM Financial has expanded its leasing, near prime and prime lending programs through our franchised dealers, and as a result, leasing and prime lending have become a larger percentage of originations and the retail portfolio balance.

Internationally GM Financial’s retail automobile finance programs focus on prime quality financing through loan and lease products.

Generally GM Financial seeks to fund its operations in each country through local sources to minimize currency and country risk. GM Financial primarily finances its loan, lease and commercial origination volume through the use of secured and unsecured credit facilities, through securitization transactions where such markets are developed and through the issuance of unsecured debt in public markets including accepting deposits from retail banking customers in Germany.

Employees At December 31, 2016 we employed 135,000 (60%) hourly employees and 90,000 (40%) salaried employees. At December 31, 2016 55,000 (53%) of our U.S. employees were represented by unions, a majority of which were represented by the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agriculture Implement Workers of America (UAW). The following table summarizes worldwide employment (in thousands):

December 31, 2016December 31, 2015December 31, 2014
GMNA124115110
GME383637
GMIO323233
GMSA222429
GM Financial987
Total Worldwide225215216
U.S. - Salaried504540
U.S. - Hourly555251

Executive Officers of the Registrant As of February 7, 2017 the names and ages of our executive officers and their positions with GM are as follows:

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

Name (Age)Present GM Position (Effective Date)Positions Held During the Past Five Years (Effective Date)
Mary T. Barra (55)Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (2016)Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors (2014) Executive Vice President, Global Product Development, Purchasing & Supply Chain (2013) Senior Vice President, Global Product Development (2011)
Daniel Ammann (44)President (2014)Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer (2013) Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer (2011)
Alan S. Batey (53)Executive Vice President & President, North America (2014)Senior Vice President, Global Chevrolet and Brand Chief and U.S. Sales and Marketing (2013) GM Vice President, U.S. Sales and Service, and Interim GM Chief Marketing Officer (2012) Vice President, U.S. Chevrolet Sales and Service (2010)
Alicia Boler-Davis (47)Executive Vice President, Global Manufacturing (2016)Senior Vice President, Global Connected Customer Experience (2014) Vice President, Global Quality and U.S. Customer Experience (2012)
Carel Johannes de Nysschen (56)Executive Vice President & President, Cadillac (2014)Infiniti Motor Company, President (2012) Audi of America, Inc., President (2004)
Barry L. Engle (53)Executive Vice President & President, South America (2015)Agility Fuel Systems, CEO (2011)
Stefan Jacoby (58)Executive Vice President & President, GM International (2013)Volvo Car Corporation - Global Chief Executive Officer and President (2010)
Craig B. Glidden (59)Executive Vice President & General Counsel (2015)LyondellBasell, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer (2009)
Karl-Thomas Neumann (55)Executive Vice President & President, Europe and Chairman of the Management Board of Opel Group GmbH (2013)CEO, Opel Group GmbH & President, GM Europe (2013) Volkswagen Group China - Chief Executive Officer and President (2010)
John J. Quattrone (64)Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources (2014)VP of Human Resources, Global Product Development & Global Purchasing & Supply Chain / Corporate Strategy, Business Development & Global Planning & Program organizations (2009)
Mark L. Reuss (53)Executive Vice President, Global Product Development, Purchasing & Supply Chain (2014)Executive Vice President & President, North America (2013) GM Vice President & President, North America (2009)
Charles K. Stevens, III (57)Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer (2014)Chief Financial Officer, GM North America (2010) Interim Chief Financial Officer, GM South America (2011)
Matthew Tsien (56)Executive Vice President & President, GM China (2014)GM Consolidated International Operations Vice President, Planning, Program Management, & Strategic Alliances China (2012) Executive Vice President, SAIC GM Wuling (2009)
Thomas S. Timko (48)Vice President, Controller & Chief Accounting Officer (2013)Applied Materials Inc. - Corporate Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer, and Corporate Controller (2010)

There are no family relationships between any of the officers named above and there is no arrangement or understanding between any of the officers named above and any other person pursuant to which he or she was selected as an officer. Each of the officers named above was elected by the Board of Directors to hold office until the next annual election of officers and until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal. The Board of Directors elects the officers immediately following each annual meeting of the stockholders and may appoint other officers between annual meetings.

Segment Reporting Data Operating segment data and principal geographic area data for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 are summarized in Note 23 to our consolidated financial statements.

Website Access to Our Reports Our internet website address is www.gm.com. In addition to the information about us and our subsidiaries contained in this 2016 Form 10-K information about us can be found on our website including information on our corporate governance principles and practices. Our Investor Relations website at www.gm.com/investors contains a significant amount of information about us, including financial and other information for investors. We encourage investors to visit our website,

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

as we frequently update and post new information about our company on our website and it is possible that this information could be deemed to be material information. Our website and information included in or linked to our website are not part of this 2016 Form 10-K.

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act) are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The public may read and copy the materials we file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Additionally the SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information. The address of the SEC's website is www.sec.gov.


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