Free cash flow
General Motors Free cash flow decreased by 59.8% to $1.44B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 66.1%, from $4.25B to $1.44B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 23.0% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
cf_free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $5.59B | -$1.91B | $3.61B | $443.00M | $956.00M | $3.09B | $2.32B | $655.00M | $5.34B | $4.02B | $0.00 | $369.00M | $3.41B | $4.62B | $907.00M | $4.25B | $4.77B | $4.97B | $3.58B | $1.44B |
| QoQ Change | — | -134.1% | +289.2% | -87.7% | +115.8% | +222.9% | -24.9% | -71.8% | +715.1% | -24.8% | -100.0% | — | +823.3% | +35.5% | -80.4% | +368.0% | +12.4% | +4.2% | -28.1% | -59.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -82.9% | +261.8% | -35.8% | +47.9% | +458.5% | +30.1% | -100.0% | -43.7% | -36.2% | +15.0% | — | >999% | +40.0% | +7.7% | +294.2% | -66.1% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is General Motors's free cash flow?
- General Motors (GM) reported free cash flow of $1.44B in Q1 2026.
- How has General Motors's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- General Motors's free cash flow decreased by 66.1% year-over-year, from $4.25B to $1.44B.
- What is the long-term trend for General Motors's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), General Motors's free cash flow has grown at a 23.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $7.68B to $17.56B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.