Revenue Recognition
Revenue for sales of vehicles and service parts is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the risks and rewards of ownership have transferred to the customer, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the price of the transaction is fixed and determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. For vehicles, this is generally when the vehicle is released to the carrier responsible for transporting vehicles to dealers. Revenues are recognized net of discounts, including but not limited to, cash sales incentives, customer bonuses and rebates granted. Shipping and handling costs are recorded as cost of sales in the period incurred. Operating lease revenue is recognized over the contractual term of the lease on a straight-line basis.
We use price discounts to adjust vehicle pricing in response to a number of market and product factors, including: pricing actions and incentives offered by competitors, economic conditions, the amount of excess industry production capacity, the intensity of market competition, consumer demand for the product and the need to support promotional campaigns. We may offer a variety of sales incentive programs at any given point in time, including: cash offers to dealers and retail customers and subvention programs offered to retail customers or lease subsidies, which reduce the retail customer’s monthly lease payment or cash due at the inception of the financing arrangement, or both. Incentive programs are generally brand, model and region specific for a defined period of time, which may be extended.
We record the estimated cost of sales incentive programs offered to dealers and retail customers as a reduction to revenue at the time of sale to the dealer. This estimated cost represents the incentive programs offered to dealers and retail customers, as well as the expected modifications to these programs in order to facilitate sales of the dealer inventory. Subsequent adjustments to incentive programs related to vehicles previously sold to dealers are recognized as an adjustment to revenue in the period the adjustment is determinable. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, incentive expense was $9.9 billion, $8.8 billion and $7.2 billion, respectively, and is included as a reduction to Revenues, Net in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income.
Vehicle sales through our Guaranteed Depreciation Program (“GDP”), under which we guarantee the residual value or otherwise assume responsibility for the minimum resale value of the vehicle, are accounted for similar to an operating lease and rental income is recognized over the contractual term of the lease on a straight-line basis.
At the end of the lease term, we recognize revenue for the portion of the vehicle sales price which had not been previously recognized as rental income and recognize, in cost of sales, the remainder of the cost of the vehicle which had not been previously recognized as depreciation expense over the lease term. Cash flows associated with this program are included within Cash Flows from Operating Activities in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
We offer customers the opportunity to purchase separately-priced extended warranty and service contracts. In addition, from time to time we sell certain vehicles with a service contract included in the sales price of the vehicle. The service contract and vehicle qualified as separate units of accounting in accordance with the accounting guidance for multiple-element arrangements. The revenue from these contracts, as well as our separately-priced extended warranty and service contracts, is recorded as a component of Deferred Revenue in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets at the inception of the contract and is recognized as revenue over the contract period in proportion to the costs expected to be incurred based on historical information. A loss on these contracts is recognized if the sum of the expected costs for services under the contract exceeds unearned revenue.