filings.toolsGeneral Motors 10-K 2020-12-31
Filed 2021-02-10. 17 sections, 579K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
Form 10-K
| ☑ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020
OR
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 001-34960
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 27-0756180 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 300 Renaissance Center, | Detroit, | Michigan | 48265 | -3000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(313) 667-1500
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Not applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
| Common Stock, $0.01 par value | GM | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C.7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☑
The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (assuming only for purposes of this computation that directors and executive officers may be affiliates) was approximately $36.1 billion as of June 30, 2020.
As of January 29, 2021 there were 1,440,912,820 shares of common stock outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant's definitive Proxy Statement related to the Annual Stockholders Meeting to be filed subsequently are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.
INDEX
| Page | |||||||||||
| PART I | |||||||||||
| Item 1. | Business | 1 | |||||||||
| Item 1A. | Risk Factors | 13 | |||||||||
| Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments | 20 | |||||||||
| Item 2. | Properties | 21 | |||||||||
| Item 3. | Legal Proceedings | 21 | |||||||||
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | 21 | |||||||||
| PART II | |||||||||||
| Item 5. | Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities | 21 | |||||||||
| Item 6. | Selected Financial Data | 23 | |||||||||
| Item 7. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 23 | |||||||||
| Item 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 44 | |||||||||
| Item 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | 51 | |||||||||
| Consolidated Income Statements | 51 | ||||||||||
| Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income | 51 | ||||||||||
| Consolidated Balance Sheets | 52 | ||||||||||
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows | 53 | ||||||||||
| Consolidated Statements of Equity | 54 | ||||||||||
| Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements | 55 | ||||||||||
| Note 1. | Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation | 55 | |||||||||
| Note 2. | Significant Accounting Policies | 55 | |||||||||
| Note 3. | Revenue | 62 | |||||||||
| Note 4. | Marketable and Other Securities | 64 | |||||||||
| Note 5. | GM Financial Receivables and Transactions | 65 | |||||||||
| Note 6. | Inventories | 67 | |||||||||
| Note 7. | Equipment on Operating Leases | 67 | |||||||||
| Note 8. | Equity in Net Assets of Nonconsolidated Affiliates | 68 | |||||||||
| Note 9. | Property | 70 | |||||||||
| Note 10. | Goodwill and Intangible Assets | 70 | |||||||||
| Note 11. | Variable Interest Entities | 71 | |||||||||
| Note 12. | Accrued and Other Liabilities | 72 | |||||||||
| Note 13. | Debt | 73 | |||||||||
| Note 14. | Derivative Financial Instruments | 75 | |||||||||
| Note 15. | Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits | 76 | |||||||||
| Note 16. | Commitments and Contingencies | 82 | |||||||||
| Note 17. | Income Taxes | 87 | |||||||||
| Note 18. | Restructuring and Other Initiatives | 89 | |||||||||
| Note 19. | Interest Income and Other Non-Operating Income | 90 | |||||||||
| Note 20. | Stockholders’ Equity and Noncontrolling Interests | 90 | |||||||||
| Note 21. | Earnings Per Share | 93 | |||||||||
| Note 22. | Discontinued Operations | 93 | |||||||||
| Note 23. | Stock Incentive Plans | 94 | |||||||||
| Note 24. | Segment Reporting | 95 | |||||||||
| Note 25. | Supplemental Information for the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows | 98 |
| Page | |||||||||||
| Note 26. | Subsequent Event | 98 | |||||||||
| Item 9. | Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | 99 | |||||||||
| Item 9A. | Controls and Procedures | 99 | |||||||||
| Item 9B. | Other Information | 100 | |||||||||
| PART III | |||||||||||
| Item 10. | Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance | 100 | |||||||||
| Item 11. | Executive Compensation | 100 | |||||||||
| Item 12. | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | 100 | |||||||||
| Item 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence | 100 | |||||||||
| Item 14. | Principal Accountant Fees and Services | 100 | |||||||||
| PART IV | |||||||||||
| Item 15. | Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules | 101 | |||||||||
| Item 16. | Form 10-K Summary | 104 | |||||||||
| Signatures | 105 |
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
PART I
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 trucks, crossovers, cars and automobile parts worldwide. Cruise is our global segment responsible for the development and commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology. 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.
On July 31, 2017, we closed the sale of the Opel and Vauxhall businesses and certain other assets in Europe (the Opel/Vauxhall Business) to Peugeot, S.A. (PSA Group). On October 31, 2017, we closed the sale of the European financing subsidiaries and branches (the Fincos, and together with the Opel/Vauxhall Business, the European Business) to Banque PSA Finance S.A. and BNP Paribas Personal Finance S.A. The European Business is presented as discontinued operations in our consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. Unless otherwise indicated, information in this report relates to our continuing operations.
Automotive Our automotive operations meet the demands of our customers through our automotive segments: GM North America (GMNA) and GM International (GMI). GMNA meets the demands of customers in North America with vehicles developed, manufactured and/or marketed under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC brands. GMI primarily meets the demands of customers outside North America with vehicles developed, manufactured and/or marketed under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC and Holden brands. We also have equity ownership stakes in entities that meet the demands of customers in other countries, primarily in China, with vehicles developed, manufactured and/or marketed under the Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet 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.
Refer to Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) and Note 24 to our consolidated financial statements for financial information about our segments.
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 total vehicle sales data to assist in the analysis of our revenue and our market share. Wholesale vehicle sales data consists of sales to GM's dealers and distributors as well as sales to the U.S. Government and excludes vehicles sold by our joint ventures. Wholesale vehicle sales data correlates to our revenue recognized from the sale of vehicles, which is the largest component of Automotive net sales and revenue. In the year ended December 31, 2020, 30.5% of our wholesale vehicle sales volume was generated outside the U.S. The following table summarizes wholesale vehicle sales by automotive segment (vehicles in thousands):
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GMNA | 2,707 | 80.3 | % | 3,214 | 76.4 | % | 3,555 | 75.5 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GMI | 663 | 19.7 | % | 995 | 23.6 | % | 1,152 | 24.5 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 3,370 | 100.0 | % | 4,209 | 100.0 | % | 4,707 | 100.0 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total vehicle sales data represents: (1) retail sales (i.e., sales to consumers who purchase new vehicles from dealers or distributors); (2) fleet sales, such as sales to large and small businesses, governments, and daily rental car companies; and (3) vehicles used by dealers in their businesses, including courtesy transportation vehicles. Total vehicle sales data includes all sales by joint ventures on a total vehicle basis, not based on our percentage ownership interest 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, which are included in the total vehicle sales we report for China. While total vehicle sales data does not correlate
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
directly to the revenue we recognize during a particular period, we believe it is indicative of the underlying demand for our vehicles. Total vehicle sales data represents management's good faith estimate based on sales reported by GM's dealers, distributors, and joint ventures, commercially available data sources such as registration and insurance data, and internal estimates and forecasts when other data is not available.
The following table summarizes industry and GM total vehicle sales and our related competitive position by geographic region (vehicles in thousands):
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Industry | GM | Market Share | Industry | GM | Market Share | Industry | GM | Market Share | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North America | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States | 14,924 | 2,547 | 17.1 | % | 17,499 | 2,887 | 16.5 | % | 17,721 | 2,954 | 16.7 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 2,798 | 377 | 13.5 | % | 3,645 | 480 | 13.2 | % | 3,839 | 536 | 14.0 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total North America | 17,722 | 2,924 |
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
We have listed below the most material risk factors applicable to us. These risk factors are not necessarily in the order of importance or probability of occurrence:
Risks related to our competition and strategy
If we do not deliver new products, services and customer experiences in response to increased competition and changing consumer preferences in the automotive industry, our business could suffer. We believe that the automotive industry will continue to experience significant change in the coming years, particularly as traditional automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) shift resources to the development of electric vehicles. In addition to our traditional competitors, we must also be responsive to the entrance of non-traditional participants in the automotive industry. Industry participants are disrupting the historic business model of our industry through the introduction of new technologies, products, services, direct-to-consumer sales channels, methods of transportation and vehicle ownership. It is a strategic imperative that we succeed in driving the technological disruption occurring in our industry, including consumer adoption of electric vehicles and commercialization of autonomous vehicles. To successfully execute our long-term strategy, we must continue to develop new products and services, including products and services that are outside of our historically core business, such as autonomous and electric vehicles, digital services and transportation as a service. The process of designing and developing new technology, products and services is complex, costly and uncertain and requires extensive capital investment and the ability to retain and recruit the best talent. There can be no assurance that advances in technology will occur in a timely or feasible way, that others will not acquire similar or superior technologies sooner than we do, or that we will acquire technologies on an exclusive basis or at a significant price advantage. If we do not adequately prepare for and respond to new kinds of technological innovations, market developments and changing customer needs, our sales, profitability and long-term competitiveness may be harmed.
Our ability to maintain profitability is dependent upon our ability to timely fund and introduce new and improved vehicle models, including electric vehicles, that are able to attract a sufficient number of consumers. We operate in a very competitive industry with market participants routinely introducing new and improved vehicle models and features designed to meet rapidly evolving consumer expectations. Producing new and improved vehicle models, including electric vehicles, that preserve our reputation for designing, building and selling safe, high-quality cars and trucks is critical to our long-term profitability. Successful launches of our new vehicles are critical to our short-term profitability. The new vehicle development process generally takes two years or more, and a number of factors may lengthen that time period. Because of this product development cycle and the various elements that may contribute to consumers’ acceptance of new vehicle designs, including competitors’ product introductions, technological innovations, fuel prices, general economic conditions, infrastructure and changes in quality, safety, reliability and styling demands and preferences, an initial product concept or design may not result in a vehicle that generates sales in sufficient quantities and at high enough prices to be profitable. Our high proportion of fixed costs, both due to our significant investment in property, plant and equipment as well as other requirements of our collective bargaining agreements, which limit our flexibility to adjust personnel costs to changes in demands for our products, may further exacerbate the risks associated with incorrectly assessing demand for our vehicles.
Our near-term profitability is dependent upon the success of our current line of full-size SUVs and pickup trucks. While we offer a portfolio of cars, crossovers, SUVs and trucks, and we have announced significant plans to design, build and sell a broad portfolio of electric vehicles, we currently recognize higher profit margins on our SUVs and trucks. Our near-term success is dependent upon our ability to sell higher margin vehicles in sufficient volumes. Any near-term shift in consumer preferences toward smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles, whether as a result of increases in the price of oil or any sustained shortage of oil, including as a result of global political instability, concerns about climate change or other reasons, could weaken the demand for our higher margin vehicles. More stringent fuel economy regulations could also impact our ability to sell these vehicles.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
We operate in a highly competitive industry that has excess manufacturing capacity, and attempts by our competitors to sell more vehicles could have a significant negative effect on our vehicle pricing, market share and operating results. The global automotive industry is highly competitive in terms of the quality, innovation, new technologies, pricing, fuel economy, reliability, safety, customer service and financial services offered. Additionally, overall manufacturing capacity in the industry far exceeds current demand. Many manufacturers, including GM, have relatively high fixed labor costs as well as limitations on their ability to close facilities and reduce fixed costs. In light of such excess capacity and high fixed costs, many industry participants have attempted to sell more vehicles by providing subsidized financing or leasing programs, offering marketing incentives or reducing vehicle prices. As a result, we may be required to offer similar incentives that may result in vehicle prices that do not offset cost increases or the impact of adverse currency fluctuations, which could affect our profitability. Our competitors may also seek to benefit from economies of scale by consolidating or entering into other strategic agreements such as alliances or joint ventures intended to enhance their competitiveness.
Manufacturers in countries that have lower production costs, such as China and India, have become competitors in key emerging markets and have announced their intention to export their products to established markets as a low-cost alternative to established entry-level automobiles. In addition, foreign governments may decide to implement tax and other policies that favor their domestic manufacturers at the expense of international manufacturers, including GM and its joint venture partners. These actions have had, and are expected to continue to have, a significant negative effect on our vehicle pricing, market share and operating results.
Our long-term strategy is dependent upon our ability to deliver a broad portfolio of electric vehicles that will drive consumer adoption. The production and profitable sale of electric vehicles has become increasingly important to our long-term business as we accelerate our transition to an all-electric future. In 2020, we announced the commitment of $27 billion in investments in electric and autonomous vehicle technologies through 2025, with plans to launch 30 new electric vehicle models globally in that timeframe. Our electric vehicle strategy is dependent on our ability to deliver a broad portfolio of electric vehicles; reduce the costs associated with the manufacture of electric vehicles; increase vehicle range and the energy density of our batteries; license and monetize our proprietary platforms; develop new software and services; and leverage our scale, manufacturing capabilities and synergies with existing internal combustion engine vehicles. In addition, consumer adoption of electric vehicles will be critical to the success of our strategy. Consumer adoption of electric vehicles could be impacted by numerous factors, including the breadth of the portfolio of electric vehicles available; perceptions about electric vehicle features, quality, safety, performance and cost relative to internal combustion engine vehicles; the range over which electric vehicles may be driven on a full battery charge; availability of high fuel-economy internal combustion engine vehicles; volatility in the cost of fuel; government regulations and economic incentives; and the proliferation of a robust, open-standard electric vehicle charging ecosystem. If we are unable to successfully deliver on our electric vehicle strategy, it could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and growth prospects.
Our autonomous vehicle strategy is dependent upon our ability to successfully mitigate unique technological, operational, and regulatory risks. In recent years, we announced significant investments in autonomous vehicle technologies, including in GM Cruise Holdings LLC (Cruise Holdings), our majority-owned subsidiary that is responsible for the development and commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology. Our autonomous vehicle operations are capital intensive and subject to a variety of risks inherent with the development of new technologies, including our ability to continue to develop self-driving software and hardware, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors and other components; access to sufficient capital, including with respect to additional Softbank funding; risks related to the manufacture of purpose-built autonomous vehicles; and significant competition from both established automotive companies and technology companies, some of which may have more resources and capital to devote to autonomous vehicle technologies than we do. In addition, we face risks related to the commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles on our targeted timeline or at all, including consumer acceptance, achievement of adequate safety and other performance standards and compliance with uncertain, evolving and potentially conflicting federal and state or provincial regulations. To the extent accidents, cybersecurity breaches or other adverse events associated with our autonomous driving systems occur, we could be subject to liability, government scrutiny and further regulation, and it could deter consumer adoption of autonomous vehicle technology. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and growth prospects.
Risks related to our operations
The COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt our business and operations, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. Pandemics, epidemics or disease outbreaks in the U.S. or globally may disrupt our business, which could materially affect our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and future expectations. The COVID-19 outbreak has caused significant disruption to the global economy, including the automotive industry, and has had a material impact on our business as discussed in detail in Part II, Item 7. MD&A. However, the full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our operations will depend on future developments, including the duration and severity of the outbreak, any subsequent outbreaks and the timing and efficacy of any available vaccines. Future developments are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence and may adversely impact our global supply chain and global manufacturing operations and cause us to again suspend our operations in the U.S. and elsewhere. In particular, if
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
COVID-19 continues to spread or re-emerges, particularly in North America where our profits are most concentrated, resulting in a prolonged period of travel, commercial, social and other similar restrictions, we could experience among other things: (1) global supply disruptions; (2) labor disruptions; (3) an inability to manufacture; (4) an inability to sell to our customers; (5) a decline in showroom traffic and customer demand during and following the pandemic; (6) customer defaults on automobile loans and leases; (7) lower than expected pricing on vehicles sold at auction; and (8) an impaired ability to access credit and the capital markets. We may also be subject to enhanced legal risks, including potential litigation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also have substantial cash requirements going forward, including: (1) ongoing cash costs including payments associated with previously announced vehicle recalls, the settlements of multi-district litigation and other recall-related contingencies, payments to service debt and other long-term obligations, including mandatory contributions to our pension plans; and (2) capital expenditures and payments for engineering and product development activities. Our ability to meet these cash requirements may be negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Any resulting financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time, but the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations going forward. For a further discussion of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our liquidity, refer to the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section in Part II, Item 7. MD&A.
Our business is highly dependent upon global automobile market sales volume, which can be volatile. Because we have a high proportion of relatively fixed structural costs, small changes in sales volume can have a disproportionately large effect on our profitability. A number of economic and market conditions drive changes in new vehicle sales, including the availability and prices of used vehicles, levels of unemployment, availability of affordable financing, fluctuations in the cost of fuel, consumer confidence, real estate values, political unrest, the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness, including COVID-19 (see “The COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt our business and operations, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations” in this Item 1A, Risk Factors), barriers to trade and other global economic conditions. For a discussion of economic and market trends, see the "Overview" section in Part II, Item 7. MD&A.
Our significant business in China subjects us to unique operational, competitive and regulatory risks. Maintaining a strong position in the Chinese market is a key component of our global growth strategy. Our business in China is subject to aggressive competition from many of the largest global manufacturers and numerous domestic manufacturers as well as non-traditional market participants, such as domestic technology companies. In addition, our success in China depends upon our ability to adequately address unique market and consumer preferences driven by advancements related to electric vehicles, infotainment and other new technologies. Our ability to fully deploy our technologies in China may be impacted by evolving laws and regulations in the U.S. and China. Increased competition, increased U.S.-China trade restrictions and weakening economic conditions in China, among other things, may result in price reductions, reduced sales, profitability and margins, and challenges to gain or hold market share. In addition, Chinese regulators have implemented increasingly aggressive “green” policy initiatives requiring OEMs to reduce the average emissions and average fuel consumption of their products and to achieve quotas for the sale of electric vehicles, which have challenging lead times.
Certain risks and uncertainties of doing business in China are solely within the control of the Chinese government, and Chinese law regulates the scope of our investments and business conducted within China. In order to maintain access to the Chinese market, we may be required to comply with significant technical and other regulatory requirements that are unique to the Chinese market, at times with challenging lead times to implement such requirements. These actions may increase the cost of doing business in China and reduce our profitability.
A significant amount of our operations are conducted by joint ventures that we cannot operate solely for our benefit. Many of our operations, primarily in China and Korea as well as our battery manufacturing operations with LG Chem, are carried out by joint ventures. In joint ventures we share ownership and management of a company with one or more parties who may not have the same goals, strategies, priorities or resources as we do and may compete with us outside the joint venture. Joint ventures are intended to be operated for the equal benefit of all co-owners, rather than for our exclusive benefit. Operating a business as a joint venture often requires additional organizational formalities as well as time-consuming procedures for sharing information and making decisions that must further take into consideration our partners' interests. In joint ventures we are required to foster our relationships with our co-owners as well as promote the overall success of the joint venture, and if a co-owner changes, relationships deteriorate or strategic objectives diverge, our success in the joint venture may be materially adversely affected. The benefits from a successful joint venture are shared among the co-owners, therefore we do not receive all the benefits from our successful joint ventures.
In addition, because we share ownership and management with one or more parties, we may have limited control over the actions of a joint venture, particularly when we own a minority interest. As a result, we may be unable to prevent violations of applicable laws or other misconduct by a joint venture or the failure to satisfy contractual obligations by one or more parties. Moreover, a joint venture may not follow the same requirements regarding compliance, internal controls and internal control over financial reporting that we follow. To the extent another party makes decisions that negatively impact the joint venture or internal control issues arise within the joint venture, we may have to take responsive actions, or we may be subject to penalties, fines or other punitive actions for these activities.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
The international scale and footprint of our operations expose us to additional risks. We manufacture, sell and service products globally and rely upon an integrated global supply chain to deliver the raw materials, components, systems and parts that we need to manufacture our products. Our global operations subject us to extensive domestic and foreign legal and regulatory requirements, and a variety of other political, economic and regulatory risks including: (1) changes in government leadership; (2) changes in labor, employment, tax, privacy, environmental and other laws, regulations or government policies impacting our overall business model or practices or restricting our ability to manufacture, purchase or sell products consistent with market demand and our business objectives; (3) political pressures to change any aspect of our business model or practices or that impair our ability to source raw materials, services, components, systems and parts, or manufacture products on competitive terms in a manner consistent with our business objectives; (4) political instability, civil unrest or government controls over certain sectors; (5) political and economic tensions between governments and changes in international trade policies, including restrictions on the repatriation of dividends or in the export of technology, especially between China and the U.S.; (6) more detailed inspections or new or higher tariffs, for example, on products imported into or exported from the U.S., including under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, or other trade measures; (7) new barriers to entry or domestic preference procurement requirements, including changes to, withdrawals from or impediments to implementing free trade agreements (for example, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement), or preferences of foreign nationals for domestically manufactured products; (8) changes in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly in Brazil and Argentina, and interest rates; (9) economic downturns or significant changes in conditions in the countries in which we operate; (10) differing local product preferences and product requirements, including government certification requirements related to, among other things, fuel economy, vehicle emissions and safety; (11) impact of changes to and compliance with U.S. and foreign countries’ export controls, economic sanctions and other similar measures; (12) liabilities resulting from U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, those related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and certain other anti-corruption laws; (13) differing labor regulations, requirements and union relationships; (14) differing dealer and franchise regulations and relationships; (15) difficulties in obtaining financing in foreign countries for local operations; and (16) natural disasters, public health crises, including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness, such as COVID-19 (see “The COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt our business and operations, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations” in this Item 1A, Risk Factors), and other catastrophic events.
Any significant disruption at one of our manufacturing facilities could disrupt our production schedule. We assemble vehicles at various facilities around the world. Our facilities are typically designed to produce particular models for particular geographic markets. No single facility is designed to manufacture our full range of vehicles. In some cases, certain facilities produce products, systems, components and parts that disproportionately contribute a greater degree to our profitability than others and create significant interdependencies among manufacturing facilities around the world. Should these or other facilities become unavailable either temporarily or permanently for any number of reasons, including labor disruptions, the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness, such as COVID-19 (see “The COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt our business and operations, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations” in this Item 1A, Risk Factors), or catastrophic weather events, the inability to manufacture at the affected facility may result in harm to our reputation, increased costs, lower revenues and the loss of customers. In particular, substantially all of our hourly employees are represented by unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements that must be negotiated from time-to-time, often at the local facility level, which increases our risk of work stoppages. We may not be able to easily shift production to other facilities or to make up for lost production. Any new facility needed to replace an inoperable manufacturing facility would need to comply with the necessary regulatory requirements, need to satisfy our specialized manufacturing requirements and require specialized equipment.
Any disruption in our suppliers’ operations could disrupt our production schedule. Our automotive operations are dependent upon the continued ability of our suppliers to deliver the systems, components, raw materials and parts that we need to manufacture our products. Our use of “just-in-time” manufacturing processes allows us to maintain minimal inventory. As a result, our ability to maintain production is dependent upon our suppliers delivering sufficient quantities of systems, components, raw materials and parts on time to meet our production schedules. In some instances, we purchase systems, components, raw materials and parts that are ultimately derived from a single source and may be at an increased risk for supply disruptions. Any number of factors, including labor disruptions, catastrophic weather events, the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness, such as COVID-19 (see “The COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt our business and operations, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations” in this Item 1A, Risk Factors), contractual or other disputes, unfavorable economic or industry conditions, delivery delays or other performance problems or financial difficulties or solvency problems, could disrupt our suppliers’ operations and lead to uncertainty in our supply chain or cause supply disruptions for us, which could, in turn, disrupt our operations, including the production of certain higher margin vehicles. If the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread or re-emerges and results in a prolonged period of travel, commercial, social and other similar restrictions, we could experience continued and/or additional global supply disruptions. If we experience supply disruptions, we may not be able to develop alternate sourcing quickly. Any disruption of our production schedule caused by an unexpected shortage of systems, components, raw materials or parts even for a relatively short period of time could cause us to alter production schedules or suspend production entirely, which could cause a loss of revenues, which would adversely affect our operations.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
In particular, a global semiconductor supply shortage is having wide-ranging effects across multiple industries, particularly the automotive industry, and it has impacted multiple suppliers that incorporate semiconductors into the parts they supply to us. As a result, the semiconductor supply shortage has had, and will continue to have, an impact on our vehicle production, and we anticipate it will have a material impact on our performance in 2021.
High prices of raw materials or other inputs used by us and our suppliers could negatively impact our profitability. Increases in prices for raw materials or other inputs that we and our suppliers use in manufacturing products, systems, components and parts, such as steel, precious metals, non-ferrous metals, critical minerals or other similar raw materials, may lead to higher production costs for parts, components and vehicles. Changes in trade policies and tariffs, fluctuations in supply and demand and other economic and political factors may continue to create pricing pressure for raw materials and other inputs. This could, in turn, negatively impact our future profitability because we may not be able to pass all of those costs on to our customers or require our suppliers to absorb such costs.
We may continue to restructure our operations in the U.S. and various other countries and initiate additional cost reduction actions, but we may not succeed in doing so. Since 2017, we have undertaken restructuring actions to lower our operating costs in response to difficult market and operating conditions in various parts of the world, including the U.S., Canada, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia and New Zealand and Europe. As we continue to assess our performance throughout our regions, we may take additional restructuring actions to rationalize our operations, which may result in material asset write-downs or impairments and reduce our profitability in the periods incurred. In addition, we are continuing to implement a number of operating effectiveness initiatives to improve productivity and reduce costs. In addition, these restructuring actions subject us to increased risks of labor unrest or strikes, supplier, dealer, or other third-party litigation, regulator claims or proceedings, negative publicity and business disruption. Failure to realize anticipated savings or benefits from our restructuring and/or cost reduction actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity and cash flows.
Risks related to our intellectual property, cybersecurity, information technology and data management practices
Competitors may independently develop products and services similar to ours, and there are no guarantees that GM’s intellectual property rights would prevent competitors from independently developing or selling those products and services. There may be instances where, notwithstanding our intellectual property position, competitive products or services may impact the value of our brands and other intangible assets, and our business may be adversely affected. Moreover, although GM takes reasonable steps to maintain the confidentiality of GM proprietary information, there can be no assurance that such efforts will completely deter or prevent misappropriation or improper use of our technology. We sometimes face attempts to gain unauthorized access to our information technology networks and systems for the purpose of improperly acquiring our trade secrets or confidential business information. The theft or unauthorized use or publication of our trade secrets and other confidential business information as a result of such an incident could adversely affect our competitive position. In addition, we may be the target of patent enforcement actions by third parties, including aggressive and opportunistic enforcement claims by non-practicing entities. Regardless of the merit of such claims, responding to infringement claims can be expensive and time-consuming. Although we have taken steps to mitigate such risks, if we are found to have infringed any third-party intellectual property rights, we could be required to pay substantial damages, or we could be enjoined from offering some of our products and services.
Security breaches and other disruptions to information technology systems and networked products, including connected vehicles, owned or maintained by us, GM Financial, or third-party vendors or suppliers on our behalf, could interfere with our operations and could compromise the confidentiality of private customer data or our proprietary information. We rely upon information technology systems and manufacture networked products, some of which are managed by third parties, to process, transmit and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of our business processes, activities and products. Additionally, we and GM Financial collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property and proprietary business information (including that of our dealers and suppliers), as well as personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, in data centers and on information technology networks (including networks that may be controlled or maintained by third parties). The secure operation of these systems and products, and the processing and maintenance of the information processed by these systems and products, is critical to our business operations and strategy. Further, customers using our systems rely on the security of our infrastructure, including hardware and other elements provided by third parties, to ensure the reliability of our products and the protection of their data. Despite security measures and business continuity plans, these systems and products may be vulnerable to damage, disruptions or shutdowns caused by attacks by hackers, computer viruses, malware (including “ransomware”), phishing attacks or breaches due to errors or malfeasance by employees, contractors and others who have access to these systems and products. The occurrence of any of these events could compromise the confidentiality, operational integrity and accessibility of these systems and products and the data that resides within them. Similarly, such an occurrence could result in the compromise or loss of the information processed by these systems and products. Such events could result in, among other things, the loss of proprietary data, interruptions or delays in our business operations and damage to our reputation. In addition, such events could increase the risk of claims alleging that we are non-
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
compliant with applicable laws or regulations, subjecting us to potential liability or regulatory penalties and related costs under laws protecting the privacy of personal information; disrupt our operations; or reduce the competitive advantage we hope to derive from our investment in advanced technologies. We have experienced such events in the past and, although past events were immaterial, future events may occur and may be material.
Security breaches and other disruptions of our in-vehicle systems could impact the safety of our customers and reduce confidence in GM and our products**.** Our vehicles contain complex information technology systems. These systems control various vehicle functions including engine, transmission, safety, steering, navigation, acceleration, braking, window and door lock functions. We have designed, implemented and tested security measures intended to prevent unauthorized access to these systems. However, hackers have reportedly attempted, and may attempt in the future, to gain unauthorized access to modify, alter and use such systems to gain control of, or to change, our vehicles’ functionality, user interface and performance characteristics, or to gain access to data stored in or generated by the vehicle. Any unauthorized access to or control of our vehicles or their systems could adversely impact the safety of our customers or result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties. New laws, such as the new data law in Massachusetts that would permit third-party access to vehicle data and related systems, could expose our vehicles and vehicle systems to third-party access without appropriate security measures in place, leading to new safety and security risks for our customers and reducing customer trust and confidence in our products. In addition, regardless of their veracity, reports of unauthorized access to our vehicles or their systems could negatively affect our brand and harm our reputation, which could impact our business and operating results.
Our enterprise data practices, including the collection, use, sharing, and security of the Personal Identifiable Information of our customers, employees and suppliers, are subject to increasingly complex, restrictive and punitive regulations in all key market regions**.** Under these regulations, the failure to maintain compliant data practices could result in consumer complaints and regulatory inquiry, resulting in civil or criminal penalties, as well as brand impact or other harm to our business. In addition, increased consumer sensitivity to real or perceived failures in maintaining acceptable data practices could damage our reputation and deter current and potential users or customers from using our products and services. Because many of these laws are new, there is little clarity as to their interpretation, as well as a lack of precedent for the scope of enforcement. The cost of compliance with these laws and regulations will be high and is likely to increase in the future. For example, the California Consumer Protection Act became effective in 2020, obligating companies to quickly respond to consumer requests to delete, disclose and stop selling personal information of California residents, with significant fines for noncompliance. Other U.S. states are considering similar laws, with some considering private rights of action for consumers that would allow consumers to bring claims directly against GM for mishandling their data. In Europe in 2020, the Court of Justice for the EU invalidated mechanisms for transferring personal information out of the EU, leading to a wave of potential new barriers for data sharing between the EU and, among other countries, the U.S. In Canada, both the federal government and certain provinces have also proposed new legislation imposing significant and unprecedented obligations, fines and liabilities regarding data handling. Overcoming these new barriers is likely to increase our costs and drive new complexity in our operations.
Risks related to government regulations and litigation
Our operations and products are subject to extensive laws, regulations and policies, including those related to vehicle emissions, fuel economy standards and greenhouse gas emissions, that can significantly increase our costs and affect how we do business. We are significantly affected by governmental regulations on a global basis that can increase costs related to the production of our vehicles and affect our product portfolio, particularly regulations relating to emissions, fuel economy standards and greenhouse gas emissions. Meeting or exceeding many of these regulations is costly and often technologically challenging, especially because the standards are not harmonized across jurisdictions. We anticipate that the number and extent of these and other regulations, laws and policies, and the related costs and changes to our product portfolio, may increase significantly in the future, primarily out of concern for the environment (including concerns about global climate change and its impact). These government regulatory requirements, among others, could significantly affect our plans for global product development and, given the uncertainty surrounding enforcement and regulatory definitions and interpretations, may result in substantial costs, including civil or criminal penalties. In addition, an evolving but un-harmonized emissions and fuel economy regulatory framework may limit or dictate the types of vehicles we sell and where we sell them, which can affect our revenues. Refer to the “Environmental and Regulatory Matters” section of Item 1. Business for further information on regulatory and environmental requirements.
We expect that to comply with fuel economy and emission control requirements, we will be required to sell a significant volume of electric vehicles, and potentially develop and implement new technologies for conventional internal combustion engines, all at increased costs. There are limits on our ability to achieve fuel economy improvements over a given time frame, primarily relating to the cost and effectiveness of available technologies, lack of sufficient consumer acceptance of new technologies and of changes in vehicle mix, lack of willingness of consumers to absorb the additional costs of new technologies, the appropriateness (or lack thereof) of certain technologies for use in particular vehicles, the widespread availability (or lack thereof) of supporting infrastructure for new technologies and the human, engineering and financial resources necessary to deploy new technologies across a wide range of products and powertrains in a short time. There is no
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
assurance that we will be able to produce and sell vehicles that use such new technologies on a profitable basis or that our customers will purchase such vehicles in the quantities necessary for us to comply with these regulatory programs.
In the current uncertain regulatory framework, environmental liabilities for which we may be responsible and that are not reasonably estimable could be substantial. Alleged violations of safety, fuel economy or emissions standards could result in legal proceedings, the recall of one or more of our products, negotiated remedial actions, fines, restricted product offerings or a combination of any of those items. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on our operations, including facility idling, reduced employment, increased costs and loss of revenue.
In addition, many of our advanced technologies, including autonomous vehicles, present novel issues with which domestic and foreign regulators have only limited experience, and will be subject to evolving regulatory frameworks. Any current or future regulations in these areas could impact whether and how these technologies are designed and integrated into our products, and may ultimately subject us to increased costs and uncertainty.
We could be materially adversely affected by unusual or significant litigation, governmental investigations or other proceedings. We are subject to legal proceedings involving various issues, including product liability lawsuits, class action litigations alleging product defects, emissions litigation (both in the U.S. and elsewhere), stockholder litigation, labor and employment litigation in various countries (including U.S., Canada, Korea and Brazil), claims and actions arising from restructurings, divestitures of operations and assets and proceedings related to the Ignition Switch Recall. In addition, we are subject to governmental proceedings and investigations. A negative outcome in one or more of these legal proceedings could result in the imposition of damages, including punitive damages, substantial fines, significant reputational harm, civil lawsuits and criminal penalties, interruptions of business, modification of business practices, equitable remedies and other sanctions against us or our personnel as well as significant legal and other costs. For a further discussion of these matters refer to Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements.
The costs and effect on our reputation of product safety recalls and alleged defects in products and services could materially adversely affect our business. Government safety standards require manufacturers to remedy certain product safety defects through recall campaigns and vehicle repurchases. Under these standards, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties or may incur various costs, including significant costs for repairs made at no cost to the consumer. At present, the costs we incur in connection with these recalls typically include the cost of the part being replaced and labor to remove and replace the defective part. The costs to complete a recall could be exacerbated to the extent that such action relates to a global platform. Concerns about the safety of our products, including advanced technologies like autonomous vehicles, whether raised internally or by regulators or consumer advocates, and whether or not based on scientific evidence or supported by data, can result in product delays, recalls, lost sales, governmental investigations, regulatory action, private claims, lawsuits and settlements and reputational damage. These circumstances can also result in damage to brand image, brand equity and consumer trust in our products and ability to lead the disruption occurring in the automotive industry.
We currently source a variety of systems, components, raw materials and parts from third parties. From time to time these items may have performance or quality issues that could harm our reputation and cause us to incur significant costs, particularly if the affected items relate to global platforms or involve defects that are identified years after production. Our ability to recover costs associated with recalls or other campaigns caused by parts or components purchased from suppliers may be limited by the suppliers’ financial condition or a number of other reasons or defenses.
We may incur additional tax expense or become subject to additional tax exposure. We are subject to the tax laws and regulations of the U.S. and numerous other jurisdictions in which we do business. Many judgments are required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities, and we are regularly under audit by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities, which may not agree with our tax positions. In addition, our tax liabilities are subject to other significant risks and uncertainties, including those arising from potential changes in laws and regulations in the countries in which we do business, the possibility of adverse determinations with respect to the application of existing laws, changes in our business or structure and changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. Any unfavorable resolution of these and other uncertainties may have a significant adverse impact on our tax rate and results of operations. If our tax expense were to increase, or if the ultimate determination of our taxes owed is for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, our operating results, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Risks related to Automotive Financing - GM Financial
We rely on GM Financial to provide financial services to our customers and dealers globally. GM Financial faces a number of business, economic and financial risks that could impair its access to capital and negatively affect its business and operations, which in turn could impede its ability to provide leasing and financing to customers and commercial lending to our dealers. Any reduction in GM Financial’s ability to provide such financial services would negatively affect our efforts to support additional sales of our vehicles and expand our market penetration among customers and dealers.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
The primary factors that could adversely affect GM Financial’s business and operations and reduce its ability to provide financing services at competitive rates include the sufficiency, availability and cost of sources of financing, including credit facilities, securitization programs and secured and unsecured debt issuances; the performance of loans and leases in its portfolio, which could be materially affected by charge-offs, delinquencies and prepayments; wholesale auction values of used vehicles; vehicle return rates and the residual value performance on vehicles GM Financial leases to customers; fluctuations in interest rates and currencies; competition for customers from commercial banks, credit unions and other financing and leasing companies; and changes to regulation, supervision, enforcement and licensing across various jurisdictions.
In addition, a substantial portion of GM Financial’s indebtedness bears interest at variable interest rates, primarily based on USD-LIBOR. The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, has announced that it will no longer persuade or compel banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. It is unknown whether any banks will continue to voluntarily submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR, or whether LIBOR will continue to be published by its administrator based on these submissions or on any other basis, after 2021. At this time, it is not possible to predict the effect that these developments or any discontinuance, modification or other reforms may have on LIBOR, other benchmarks or floating–rate debt instruments, including GM Financial’s floating–rate debt. Any such discontinuance, modification, alternative reference rates or other reforms may materially adversely affect interest rates on GM Financial’s current or future indebtedness. There is a risk that the discontinuation of LIBOR will impact GM Financial's ability to manage interest rate risk effectively without an adequate replacement.
Further, as an entity operating in the financial services sector, GM Financial is required to comply with a wide variety of laws and regulations that may be costly to adhere to and may affect our consolidated operating results. Compliance with these laws and regulations requires that GM Financial maintain forms, processes, procedures, controls and the infrastructure to support these requirements, and these laws and regulations often create operational constraints both on GM Financial’s ability to implement servicing procedures and on pricing. Laws in the financial services industry are designed primarily for the protection of consumers. The failure to comply with these laws could result in significant statutory civil and criminal penalties, monetary damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, possible revocation of licenses and damage to reputation, brand and valued customer relationships.
Risks related to defined benefit pension plans
Our defined benefit pension plans are currently underfunded and our pension funding requirements could increase significantly due to a reduction in funded status as a result of a variety of factors, including weak performance of financial markets, declining interest rates, changes in laws or regulations, or changes in assumptions or investments that do not achieve adequate returns. Our employee benefit plans currently hold a significant amount of equity and fixed income securities. A detailed description of the investment funds and strategies and our potential funding requirements are disclosed in Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements, which also describes significant concentrations of risk to the plan investments.
Our future funding requirements for our defined benefit pension plans depend upon the future performance of assets placed in trusts for these plans, the level of interest rates used to determine funding levels, the level of benefits provided for by the plans and any changes in laws and regulations. Future funding requirements generally increase if the discount rate decreases or if actual asset returns are lower than expected asset returns, assuming other factors are held constant. We estimate future contributions to these plans using assumptions with respect to these and other items. Changes to those assumptions could have a significant effect on future contributions.
There are additional risks due to the complexity and magnitude of our investments. Examples include implementation of significant changes in investment policy, insufficient market liquidity in particular asset classes and the inability to quickly rebalance illiquid and long-term investments.
Factors that affect future funding requirements for our U.S. defined benefit plans generally affect the required funding for non-U.S. plans. Certain plans outside the U.S. do not have assets and therefore the obligation is funded as benefits are paid. If local legal authorities increase the minimum funding requirements for our non-U.S. plans, we could be required to contribute more funds, which could negatively affect our liquidity and financial condition.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
Item 2. Properties
At December 31, 2020, we had over 100 locations in the U.S. (excluding our automotive financing operations and dealerships), which are primarily for manufacturing, assembly, distribution, warehousing, engineering and testing. We, our subsidiaries or associated companies in which we own an equity interest own most of these properties and/or lease a portion of these properties. Leased properties are primarily composed of warehouses and administration, engineering and sales offices.
We have manufacturing, assembly, distribution, office or warehousing operations in 29 countries, including equity interests in associated companies, which perform manufacturing, assembly or distribution operations. The major facilities outside the U.S., which are principally vehicle manufacturing and assembly operations, are located in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Mexico and South Korea.
GM Financial owns or leases facilities for administration and regional credit centers. GM Financial has 37 facilities, of which 24 are located in the U.S. The major facilities outside the U.S. are located in Brazil, Canada, China and Mexico.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
The discussion under "Litigation-Related Liability and Tax Administrative Matters" in Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements is incorporated by reference into this Part I - Item 3.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information Shares of our common stock are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "GM".
Holders At January 29, 2021, we had 1.4 billion issued and outstanding shares of common stock held by 471 holders of record.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
Stock Performance Graph The following graph compares the performance of our common stock to the Standard & Poor's 500 Stock Index and the Dow Jones Automobile & Parts Titans 30 Index for the last five years. It assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2015, with dividends being reinvested.
The following table summarizes stock performance graph data points in dollars:
| Years ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Motors Company | $100 | $107 | $132 | $112 | $128 | $148 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S&P 500 Stock Index | $100 | $112 | $136 | $130 | $171 | $203 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dow Jones Automobile & Parts Titans 30 Index | $100 | $98 | $118 | $93 | $106 | $160 |
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
Purchases of Equity Securities The following table summarizes our purchases of common stock in the three months ended December 31, 2020:
| Total Number of Shares Purchased(a) | Weighted Average Price Paid per Share | Total Number of Shares Purchased Under Announced Programs(b) | Approximate Dollar Value of Shares That May Yet be Purchased Under Announced Programs | ||||||||||||||||||||
| October 1, 2020 through October 31, 2020 | 38,520 | $ | 30.97 | — | $3.3 billion | ||||||||||||||||||
| November 1, 2020 through November 30, 2020 | 26,509 | $ | 45.06 | — | $3.3 billion | ||||||||||||||||||
| December 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 | 29,198 | $ | 41.62 | — | $3.3 billion | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 94,227 | $ | 38.23 | — |
(a) Shares purchased consist of shares delivered by employees or directors to us for the payment of taxes resulting from issuance of common stock upon the vesting of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) and Performance Stock Units (PSUs) relating to compensation plans. In June 2017 our shareholders approved the 2017 Long Term Incentive Plan, which authorizes awards of stock options, stock appreciation rights, RSUs, PSUs or other stock-based awards to selected employees, consultants, advisors, and non-employee Directors of the Company. Refer to Note 23 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details on employee stock incentive plans.
(b) In January 2017, we announced that our Board of Directors had authorized the purchase of up to an additional $5.0 billion of our common stock with no expiration date.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
Not applicable.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This MD&A should be read in conjunction with the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements and notes. Forward-looking statements in this MD&A are not guarantees of future performance and may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Refer to the "Forward-Looking Statements" section of this MD&A and Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors for a discussion of these risks and uncertainties. The discussion of our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 included in Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 is incorporated by reference into this MD&A.
Non-GAAP Measures Unless otherwise indicated, our non-GAAP measures discussed in this MD&A are related to our continuing operations and not our discontinued operations. Our non-GAAP measures include: earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT)-adjusted, presented net of noncontrolling interests; earnings before income taxes (EBT)-adjusted for our GM Financial segment; earnings per share (EPS)-diluted-adjusted; effective tax rate-adjusted (ETR-adjusted); return on invested capital-adjusted (ROIC-adjusted) and adjusted automotive free cash flow. Our calculation of these non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies due to potential differences between companies in the method of calculation. As a result, the use of these non-GAAP measures has limitations and should not be considered superior to, in isolation from, or as a substitute for, related U.S. GAAP measures.
These non-GAAP measures allow management and investors to view operating trends, perform analytical comparisons and benchmark performance between periods and among geographic regions to understand operating performance without regard to items we do not consider a component of our core operating performance. Furthermore, these non-GAAP measures allow investors the opportunity to measure and monitor our performance against our externally communicated targets and evaluate the investment decisions being made by management to improve ROIC-adjusted. Management uses these measures in its financial, investment and operational decision-making processes, for internal reporting and as part of its forecasting and budgeting processes. Further, our Board of Directors uses certain of these and other measures as key metrics to determine management performance under our performance-based compensation plans. For these reasons we believe these non-GAAP measures are useful for our investors.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
EBIT-adjusted EBIT-adjusted is presented net of noncontrolling interests and is used by management and can be used by investors to review our consolidated operating results because it excludes automotive interest income, automotive interest expense and income taxes as well as certain additional adjustments that are not considered part of our core operations. Examples of adjustments to EBIT include but are not limited to impairment charges on long-lived assets and other exit costs resulting from strategic shifts in our operations or discrete market and business conditions; costs arising from the ignition switch recall and related legal matters; and certain currency devaluations associated with hyperinflationary economies. For EBIT-adjusted and our other non-GAAP measures, once we have made an adjustment in the current period for an item, we will also adjust the related non-GAAP measure in any future periods in which there is an impact from the item. Our corresponding measure for our GM Financial segment is EBT-adjusted because interest income and interest expense are part of operating results when assessing and measuring the operational and financial performance of the segment.
EPS-diluted-adjusted EPS-diluted-adjusted is used by management and can be used by investors to review our consolidated diluted EPS results on a consistent basis. EPS-diluted-adjusted is calculated as net income attributable to common stockholders-diluted less income (loss) from discontinued operations on an after-tax basis, adjustments noted above for EBIT-adjusted and certain income tax adjustments divided by weighted-average common shares outstanding-diluted. Examples of income tax adjustments include the establishment or reversal of significant deferred tax asset valuation allowances.
ETR-adjusted ETR-adjusted is used by management and can be used by investors to review the consolidated effective tax rate for our core operations on a consistent basis. ETR-adjusted is calculated as Income tax expense less the income tax related to the adjustments noted above for EBIT-adjusted and the income tax adjustments noted above for EPS-diluted-adjusted divided by Income before income taxes less adjustments. When we provide an expected adjusted effective tax rate, we do not provide an expected effective tax rate because the U.S. GAAP measure may include significant adjustments that are difficult to predict.
ROIC-adjusted ROIC-adjusted is used by management and can be used by investors to review our investment and capital allocation decisions. We define ROIC-adjusted as EBIT-adjusted for the trailing four quarters divided by ROIC-adjusted average net assets, which is considered to be the average equity balances adjusted for average automotive debt and interest liabilities, exclusive of finance leases; average automotive net pension and other postretirement benefits (OPEB) liabilities; and average automotive net income tax assets during the same period.
Adjusted automotive free cash flow Adjusted automotive free cash flow is used by management and can be used by investors to review the liquidity of our automotive operations and to measure and monitor our performance against our capital allocation program and evaluate our automotive liquidity against the substantial cash requirements of our automotive operations. We measure adjusted automotive free cash flow as automotive operating cash flow from continuing operations less capital expenditures adjusted for management actions. Management actions can include voluntary events such as discretionary contributions to employee benefit plans or nonrecurring specific events such as a closure of a facility that are considered special for EBIT-adjusted purposes. Refer to the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section of this MD&A for additional information.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
The following table reconciles Net income attributable to stockholders under U.S. GAAP to EBIT-adjusted:
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to stockholders | $ | 6,427 | $ | 6,732 | $ | 8,014 | |||||||||||
| Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax | — | — | 70 | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | 1,774 | 769 | 474 | ||||||||||||||
| Automotive interest expense | 1,098 | 782 | 655 | ||||||||||||||
| Automotive interest income | (241) | (429) | (335) | ||||||||||||||
| Adjustments | |||||||||||||||||
| GMI restructuring(a) | 683 | — | 1,138 | ||||||||||||||
| Ignition switch recall and related legal matters(b) | (130) | — | 440 | ||||||||||||||
| Cadillac deale |
Showing the first 8K of 117K characters. Open the full section
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
The overall financial risk management program is under the responsibility of the Chief Financial Officer with support from the Financial Risk Council, which reviews and, where appropriate, approves strategies to be pursued to mitigate these risks. The Financial Risk Council comprises members of our management and functions under the oversight of the Audit Committee and Finance Committee of the Board of Directors. The Audit Committee and Finance Committee assist and guide the Board of Directors in its oversight of our financial and risk management strategies. A risk management control framework is utilized to monitor the strategies, risks and related hedge positions in accordance with the policies and procedures approved by the Financial Risk Council. Our financial risk management policy is designed to protect against risk arising from extreme adverse market movements on our key exposures.
Automotive The following analyses provide quantitative information regarding exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk, interest rate risk and equity price risk. Sensitivity analysis is used to measure the potential loss in the fair value of financial instruments with exposure to market risk. The models used assume instantaneous, parallel shifts in exchange rates and interest rate yield curves. For options and other instruments with nonlinear returns, models appropriate to these types of instruments are utilized to determine the effect of market shifts. There are certain shortcomings inherent in the sensitivity analyses presented, primarily due to the assumption that interest rates change in a parallel fashion and that spot exchange rates change instantaneously. In addition, the analyses are unable to reflect the complex market reactions that normally would arise from the market shifts modeled and do not contemplate the effects of correlations between foreign currency exposures and offsetting long-short positions in currency or other exposures, such as interest rates, which may significantly reduce the potential loss in value.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk We have foreign currency exposures related to buying, selling and financing in currencies other than the functional currencies of our operations. At December 31, 2020, our most significant foreign currency exposures were between the U.S. Dollar and the Canadian Dollar, Korean Won, Euro, Chinese Yuan, Brazilian Real and Mexican Peso. Derivative instruments such as foreign currency forwards, swaps and options are primarily used to hedge
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
exposures with respect to forecasted revenues, costs and commitments denominated in foreign currencies. Such contracts had remaining maturities of up to 12 months at December 31, 2020.
The net fair value liability of financial instruments with exposure to foreign currency risk was $0.9 billion and $1.4 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019. These amounts are calculated utilizing a population of foreign currency exchange derivatives and foreign currency denominated debt and exclude the offsetting effect of foreign currency cash, cash equivalents and other assets. The potential loss in fair value for such financial instruments from a 10% adverse change in all quoted foreign currency exchange rates would have been $0.1 billion and $0.2 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019.
We are exposed to foreign currency risk due to the translation and remeasurement of the results of certain international operations into U.S. Dollars as part of the consolidation process. We had foreign currency derivatives with notional amounts of $2.2 billion and $5.1 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019. The fair value of these derivative financial instruments was insignificant. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates can therefore create volatility in the results of operations and may adversely affect our financial condition.
The following table summarizes the amounts of automotive foreign currency translation and transaction and remeasurement (gains) losses:
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||
| Translation losses recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss | $ | 387 | $ | 32 | |||||||
| Transaction and remeasurement (gains) losses recorded in earnings | $ | 209 | $ | (77) |
Interest Rate Risk We are subject to market risk from exposure to changes in interest rates related to certain financial instruments, primarily debt, finance lease obligations and certain marketable debt securities. We did not have any interest rate swap positions to manage interest rate exposures in our automotive operations at December 31, 2020 and 2019. The fair value of debt and finance leases was $21.6 billion and $15.9 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019. The potential increase in fair value resulting from a 10% decrease in quoted interest rates would have been $0.7 billion and $0.6 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019.
We had marketable debt securities of $9.0 billion and $4.2 billion classified as available-for-sale at December 31, 2020 and 2019. The potential decrease in fair value from a 50 basis point increase in interest rates would have had an insignificant effect at December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Equity Price Risk We are subject to equity price risk due to market price volatility primarily related to our investment in PSA warrants. The fair value of investments with exposure to equity price risk was $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019. Our investment in PSA warrants is valued based on a Black-Scholes formula. We estimate that a 10% adverse change in quoted security prices in PSA Group would impact our investment by $0.1 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Automotive Financing - GM Financial
Interest Rate Risk Fluctuations in market interest rates can affect GM Financial's gross interest rate spread, which is the difference between interest earned on finance receivables and interest paid on debt. GM Financial is exposed to interest rate risks as financial assets and liabilities have different characteristics that may impact financial performance. These differences may include tenor, yield, re-pricing timing, and prepayment expectations. Typically retail finance receivables and leases purchased by GM Financial earn fixed interest and commercial finance receivables originated by GM Financial earn variable interest. GM Financial funds its business with variable or fixed rate debt. The variable rate debt is subject to adjustments to reflect prevailing market interest rates. To help mitigate interest rate risk or mismatched funding, GM Financial may employ hedging.
Quantitative Disclosure GM Financial measures the sensitivity of its net interest income to changes in interest rates by using interest rate scenarios that assume a hypothetical, instantaneous parallel shift of one hundred basis points in all interest rates across all maturities, as well as a base case that assumes that rates perform at the current market forward curve. However, interest rate changes are rarely instantaneous or parallel and rates could move more or less than the one percentage point assumed in our analysis. Therefore, the actual impact to net interest income could be higher or lower than the results detailed in
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
the table below. These interest rate scenarios are purely hypothetical and do not represent our view of future interest rate movements.
At December 31, 2020, GM Financial was asset-sensitive, meaning that more assets than liabilities were expected to re-price within the next twelve months. During a period of rising interest rates, the interest earned on assets would increase more than the interest paid on liabilities, which would initially increase net interest income. During a period of falling interest rates, net interest income would be expected to initially decrease. At December 31, 2019, GM Financial was liability-sensitive, meaning that more liabilities than assets were expected to re-price within the next twelve months. During a period of rising interest rates, the interest paid on liabilities would increase more than the interest earned on assets, which would initially decrease net interest income. During a period of falling interest rates, net interest income would be expected to initially increase.
GM Financial's net interest income sensitivity increased in 2020 as compared to 2019 primarily due to an increased proportion of rate sensitive asset exposure relative to rate sensitive liability exposure. GM Financial's hedging strategies approved by its global asset liability committee are used to manage interest rate risk within policy guidelines. The following table presents GM Financial's net interest income sensitivity to interest rate movement:
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||
| One hundred basis points instantaneous increase in interest rates | $ | 29.7 | $ | (4.6) | |||||||
| One hundred basis points instantaneous decrease in interest rates(a) | $ | (29.7) | $ | 4.6 |
(a) Net interest income sensitivity given a one hundred basis point decrease in interest rates requires an assumption of negative interest rates in markets where existing interest rates are below one percent.
Additional Model Assumptions The sensitivity analysis presented is GM Financial's best estimate of the effect of the hypothetical interest rate scenarios; however, actual results could differ. The estimates are also based on assumptions including the amortization and prepayment of the finance receivable portfolio, originations of finance receivables and leases, refinancing of maturing debt, replacement of maturing derivatives and exercise of options embedded in debt and derivatives. The prepayment projections are based on historical experience. If interest rates or other factors change, actual prepayment experience could be different than projected.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk GM Financial is exposed to foreign currency risk due to the translation and remeasurement of the results of certain international operations into U.S. Dollars as part of the consolidation process. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates can therefore create volatility in the results of operations and may adversely affect GM Financial's financial condition.
GM Financial primarily finances its receivables and leased assets with debt in the same currency. When a different currency is used GM Financial may use foreign currency swaps to convert substantially all of its foreign currency debt obligations to the local currency of the receivables and leased assets to minimize any impact to earnings. As a result, GM Financial believes its market risk exposure relating to changes in currency exchange rates at December 31, 2020 was insignificant.
GM Financial had foreign currency swaps with notional amounts of $7.6 billion and $6.2 billion at December 31, 2020 and 2019. The net fair value of these derivative financial instruments was an asset of $0.4 billion and an insignificant amount at December 31, 2020 and 2019.
The following table summarizes GM Financial's foreign currency translation and transaction and remeasurement (gains) losses:
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||
| Translation (gains) losses recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss | $ | 82 | $ | (5) | |||||||
| Transaction and remeasurement gains, net recorded in earnings | $ | (6) | $ | (8) |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of General Motors Company
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of General Motors Company and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows, and equity for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 10, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
| Product warranty and recall campaigns | |||||
| Description of the matter | As discussed in Note 12 to the financial statements, the liabilities for product warranty and recall campaigns amount to $8.2 billion at December 31, 2020. The Company accrues for costs related to product warranty at the time of vehicle sale and accrues the estimated cost of recall campaigns when they are probable and estimable, which is generally at the time of sale. | ||||
| Auditing these liabilities involved a high degree of subjectivity in evaluating management’s estimates, due to the size, uncertainties, and potential volatility related to the estimated liabilities. Management’s estimates consider historical claims experience, including the nature, frequency, and average cost of claims of each vehicle line or each model year of the vehicle line, and the key assumptions of historical data being predictive of future activity and events, in particular, the number of historical periods used and the weighing of historical data in the reserve studies. |
| How we addressed the matter in our audit | We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of internal controls over the Company’s product warranty and recall campaign processes. We tested internal controls over management’s review of the valuation models and significant assumptions for product warranty and recall including the warranty claims forecasted based on the frequency and average cost per warranty claim for product warranty, and the cost estimates related to recall campaigns. Our audit also included the evaluation of controls that address the completeness and accuracy of the data utilized in the valuation models. | ||||
| Our audit procedures related to product warranty and recall campaigns also included, among others, evaluating the Company’s estimation methodology, the related significant assumptions and underlying data, and performing analytical procedures to corroborate cost per vehicle based on historical claims data. Furthermore, we performed sensitivity analyses to evaluate the significant judgments made by management, including cost estimates to evaluate the impact on reserves from changes in assumptions. We performed analysis over the vehicle lines and model years that had little or no claims experience to ensure the vehicle and model substitutions are comparable. We also involved actuarial specialists to evaluate the methodologies and assumptions, and to test the actuarial calculations used by the Company. | |||||
| Sales incentives | |||||
| Description of the matter | Automotive sales and revenue represents the amount of consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring goods or providing services, which is net of dealer and customer sales incentives the Company expects to pay. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, provisions for dealer and customer incentives are recorded as a reduction to Automotive net sales and revenue at the time of vehicle sale. The liabilities for dealer and customer allowances, claims and discounts amount to $7.3 billion at December 31, 2020. | ||||
| Auditing the estimate of sales incentives involved a high degree of judgment. Significant factors used by the Company in estimating its liability for retail incentives include type of program, forecasted sales volumes, product mix, and the rate of customer acceptance of incentive programs, all of which are estimated based on historical experience and assumptions concerning future customer behavior and market conditions. The Company’s estimation model reflects the best estimate of the total incentive amount that the Company reasonably expects to pay at the time of sale. The estimated cost of incentives is forward-looking, and could be materially affected by future economic and market conditions. | |||||
| How we addressed the matter in our audit | We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of internal controls over the Company’s sales incentive process, including management’s review of the estimation model, the significant assumptions (e.g., incentive cost per unit, customer take rate, and market conditions), and the data inputs used in the model. Our audit procedures included, among others, the performance of analytical procedures to develop an independent range of the liability for retail incentives as of the balance sheet date. Our independent range was developed for comparison to the Company’s recorded liability, and is based on historical claims, forecasted spend, and the specific vehicle mix of current dealer stock. In addition, we performed sensitivity analyses over the cost per unit assumption developed by management to evaluate the impact on the liability resulting from a change in the assumption. Lastly, we assessed management’s forecasting process by performing quarterly hindsight analyses to assess the adequacy of prior forecasts. | ||||
| Valuation of GM Financial Equipment on Operating Leases | |||||
| Description of the matter | GM Financial has recorded investments in vehicles leased to retail customers under operating leases. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, at the beginning of the lease, management establishes an expected residual value for each vehicle at the end of the lease term. The Company’s estimated residual value of leased vehicles at the end of lease term was $29.2 billion as of December 31, 2020. |
| Auditing management’s estimate of the residual value of leased vehicles involved a high degree of judgment. Management’s estimate is based, in part, on third-party data which considers inputs including recent auction values and significant assumptions regarding the expected future volume of leased vehicles that will be returned to the Company, used car prices, manufacturer incentive programs and fuel prices. Realization of the residual values is dependent on the future ability to market the vehicles under future prevailing market conditions. | |||||
| How we addressed the matter in our audit | We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of the Company’s controls over the lease residual estimation process, including controls over management’s review of residual value estimates obtained from the Company’s third-party provider and other significant assumptions. Our procedures also included, among others, independently recalculating depreciation related to equipment on operating leases and performing sensitivity analyses related to significant assumptions. We also performed hindsight analyses to assess the propriety of management’s estimate of residual values, as well as tested the completeness and accuracy of data from underlying systems and data warehouses that are used in the estimation models. |
| /s/ ERNST & YOUNG LLP | ||
| We have served as the Company's auditor since 2017. | ||
| Detroit, Michigan | ||
| February 10, 2021 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of General Motors Company
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited General Motors Company and subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, General Motors Company and subsidiaries (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows and equity for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes and our report dated February 10, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
| /s/ ERNST & YOUNG LLP | ||
| Detroit, Michigan | ||
| February 10, 2021 |
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS
(In millions, except per share amounts)
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
| Net sales and revenue | |||||||||||||||||
| Automotive | $ | 108,673 | $ | 122,697 | $ | 133,045 | |||||||||||
| GM Financial | 13,812 | 14,540 | 14,004 | ||||||||||||||
| Total net sales and revenue (Note 3) | 122,485 | 137,237 | 147,049 | ||||||||||||||
| Costs and expenses | |||||||||||||||||
| Automotive and other cost of sales | 97,539 | 110,651 | 120,656 | ||||||||||||||
| GM Financial interest, operating and other expenses | 11,274 | 12,614 | 12,298 | ||||||||||||||
| Automotive and other selling, general and administrative expense | 7,038 | 8,491 | 9,650 | ||||||||||||||
| Total costs and expenses | 115,851 | 131,756 | 142,604 | ||||||||||||||
| Operating income | 6,634 | 5,481 | 4,445 | ||||||||||||||
| Automotive interest expense | 1,098 | 782 | 655 | ||||||||||||||
| Interest income and other non-operating income, net (Note 19) | 1,885 | 1,469 | 2,596 | ||||||||||||||
| Equity income (Note 8) | 674 | 1,268 | 2,163 | ||||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 8,095 | 7,436 | 8,549 | ||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense (Note 17) | 1,774 | 769 | 474 | ||||||||||||||
| Income from continuing operations | 6,321 | 6,667 | 8,075 | ||||||||||||||
| Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax (Note 22) | — | — | 70 | ||||||||||||||
| Net income | 6,321 | 6,667 | 8,005 | ||||||||||||||
| Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests | 106 | 65 | 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to stockholders | $ | 6,427 | $ | 6,732 | $ | 8,014 | |||||||||||
| Net income attributable to common stockholders | $ | 6,247 | $ | 6,581 | $ | 7,916 | |||||||||||
| Earnings per share (Note 21) | |||||||||||||||||
| Basic earnings per common share – continuing operations | $ | 4.36 | $ | 4.62 | $ | 5.66 | |||||||||||
| Basic loss per common share – discontinued operations | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 0.05 | |||||||||||
| Basic earnings per common share | $ | 4.36 | $ | 4.62 | $ | 5.61 | |||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding – basic | 1,433 | 1,424 | 1,411 | ||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per common share – continuing operations | $ | 4.33 | $ | 4.57 | $ | 5.58 | |||||||||||
| Diluted loss per common share – discontinued operations | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 0.05 | |||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per common share | $ | 4.33 | $ | 4.57 | $ | 5.53 | |||||||||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding – diluted | 1,442 | 1,439 | 1,431 |
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(In millions)
| Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 6,321 | $ | 6,667 | $ | 8,005 | |||||||||||
| Other comprehensive income, net of tax (Note 20) | |||||||||||||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments and other | (523) | (6) | (715) | ||||||||||||||
| Defined benefit plans | (1,795) | (2,122) | (221) | ||||||||||||||
| Other comprehensive loss, net of tax | (2,318) | (2,128) | (936) | ||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive income | 4,003 | 4,539 | 7,069 | ||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests | 92 | 76 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Comprehensive income attributable to stockholders | $ | 4,095 | $ | 4,615 | $ | 7,084 |
Reference should be made to the notes to consolidated financial statements.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In millions, except per share amounts)
| December 31, 2020 | December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||
| ASSETS | |||||||||||
| Current Assets | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 19,992 | $ | 19,069 | |||||||
| Marketable debt securities (Note 4) | 9,046 | 4,174 | |||||||||
| Accounts and notes receivable (net of allowance of $224 and $201) | 8,035 | 6,797 | |||||||||
| GM Financial receivables, net (Note 5; Note 11 at VIEs) | 26,209 | 26,601 | |||||||||
| Inventories (Note 6) | 10,235 | 10,398 | |||||||||
| Other current assets (Note 4; Note 11 at VIEs) | 7,407 | 7,953 | |||||||||
| Total current assets | 80,924 | 74,992 | |||||||||
| Non-current Assets | |||||||||||
| GM Financial receivables, net (Note 5; Note 11 at VIEs) | 31,783 | 26,355 | |||||||||
| Equity in net assets of nonconsolidated affiliates (Note 8) | 8,406 | 8,562 | |||||||||
| Property, net (Note 9) | 37,632 | 38,750 | |||||||||
| Goodwill and intangible assets, net (Note 10) | 5,230 | 5,337 | |||||||||
| Equipment on operating leases, net (Note 7; Note 11 at VIEs) | 39,819 | 42,055 | |||||||||
| Deferred income taxes (Note 17) | 24,136 | 24,640 | |||||||||
| Other assets (Note 4; Note 11 at VIEs) | 7,264 | 7,346 | |||||||||
| Total non-current assets | 154,270 | 153,045 | |||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | 235,194 | $ | 228,037 | |||||||
| LIABILITIES AND EQUITY | |||||||||||
| Current Liabilities | |||||||||||
| Accounts payable (principally trade) | $ | 19,928 | $ | 21,018 | |||||||
| Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt (Note 13) | |||||||||||
| Automotive | 1,276 | 1,897 | |||||||||
| GM Financial (Note 11 at VIEs) | 35,637 | 35,503 | |||||||||
| Accrued liabilities ( |
Showing the first 8K of 263K characters. Open the full section
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures We maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the specified time periods and accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
Our management, with the participation of our CEO and CFO, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act) as of December 31, 2020 as required by paragraph (b) of Rules 13a-15 or 15d-15. Based on this evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2020.
Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. This system is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Our management performed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2020, utilizing the criteria discussed in the “Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013)” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The objective of this assessment was to determine whether our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020. Based on management's assessment, we have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report included herein.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting There have not been any changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the three months ended December 31, 2020 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are monitoring our control environment with increased vigilance to ensure changes as a result of physical distancing are addressed and all increased risks are mitigated. For additional information refer to Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
Item 9B. Other Information
None.
PART III
Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14
Information required by Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of this Form 10-K is incorporated by reference from our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed with the SEC, pursuant to Regulation 14A, not later than 120 days after the end of the 2020 fiscal year, all of which information is hereby incorporated by reference in, and made part of, this Form 10-K, except disclosure of our executive officers, which is included in Part I, Item 1 of this report.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)1. All Financial Statements and Supplemental Information
- Financial Statement Schedules
All financial statement schedules are omitted as the required information is inapplicable or the information is presented in the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in Item 8.
- Exhibits
(b)Exhibits
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
| Exhibit Number | Exhibit Name | |||||||||||||
| 104 | The cover page from the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101 | Filed Herewith |
| † | Certain confidential portions have been omitted pursuant to a granted request for confidential treatment, which has been separately filed with the SEC. | ||||
| * | Management contracts and compensatory plans and arrangements required to be filed as exhibits pursuant to Item 15(b) of this Report. |
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY (Registrant) | ||||||||||||||
| By: | /s/ MARY T. BARRA | |||||||||||||
| Mary T. Barra Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||||||||
| Date: | February 10, 2021 |
GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below on this 10th day of February 2021 by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated, including a majority of the directors.
| Signature | Title | |||||||
| /s/ MARY T. BARRA | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | |||||||
| Mary T. Barra | ||||||||
| /s/ PAUL A. JACOBSON | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | |||||||
| Paul A. Jacobson | ||||||||
| /s/ CHRISTOPHER T. HATTO | Vice President, Global Business Solutions and Chief | |||||||
| Christopher T. Hatto | Accounting Officer | |||||||
| /s/ THEODORE M. SOLSO* | Lead Director | |||||||
| Theodore M. Solso | ||||||||
| /s/ WESLEY G. BUSH* | Director | |||||||
| Wesley G. Bush | ||||||||
| /s/ LINDA R. GOODEN* | Director | |||||||
| Linda R. Gooden | ||||||||
| /s/ JOSEPH JIMENEZ* | Director | |||||||
| Joseph Jimenez | ||||||||
| /s/ JANE L. MENDILLO* | Director | |||||||
| Jane L. Mendillo | ||||||||
| /s/ JUDITH A. MISCIK* | Director | |||||||
| Judith A. Miscik | ||||||||
| /s/ PATRICIA F. RUSSO* | Director | |||||||
| Patricia F. Russo | ||||||||
| /s/ THOMAS M. SCHOEWE* | Director | |||||||
| Thomas M. Schoewe | ||||||||
| /s/ CAROL M. STEPHENSON* | Director | |||||||
| Carol M. Stephenson | ||||||||
| /s/ DEVIN N. WENIG* | Director | |||||||
| Devin N. Wenig |
| *By: | /s/ CHRISTOPHER T. HATTO | |||||||
| Christopher T. Hatto | ||||||||
| Attorney-in-Fact |