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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies
Lease Commitments
The Company is committed to making rental payments under noncancelable operating leases covering various facilities and equipment. Many of the Company’s operating leases for facilities contain renewal options. These renewal options vary, but the majority include clauses for various term lengths and prevailing market rate rents.
Future minimum lease payments required under noncancelable operating leases, including minimum concession fees charged by airport authorities, which in many locations are recoverable from vehicle rental customers, as of December 31, 2015, are as follows:
 
Amount
2016
$
570

2017
426

2018
316

2019
225

2020
149

Thereafter
577

 
$
2,263


The future minimum lease payments in the above table have been reduced by minimum future sublease rental inflows in the aggregate of $4 million for all periods shown in the table.
The Company maintains concession agreements with various airport authorities that allow the Company to conduct its car rental operations on site. In general, concession fees for airport locations are based on a percentage of total commissionable revenue (as defined by each airport authority), subject to minimum annual guaranteed amounts. These concession fees, which are included in the Company’s total rent expense, were as follows for the years ended December 31:
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
Rent expense (including minimum concession fees)
$
679

 
$
639

 
$
622

Contingent concession expense
195

 
193

 
173

 
874

 
832

 
795

Less: sublease rental income
(5
)
 
(6
)
 
(5
)
Total
$
869

 
$
826

 
$
790


Commitments under capital leases, other than those within the Company’s vehicle rental programs, for which the future minimum lease payments have been reflected in Note 13-Debt Under Vehicle Programs and Borrowing Arrangements, are not significant.
The Company leases a portion of its vehicles under operating leases, which extend through 2020. As of December 31, 2015, the Company has guaranteed up to $202 million of residual values for these vehicles at the end of their respective lease terms. The Company believes that, based on current market conditions, the net proceeds from the sale of these vehicles at the end of their lease terms will equal or exceed their net book values and therefore has not recorded a liability related to guaranteed residual values.
Contingencies

In 2006, the Company completed the spin-offs of its Realogy and Wyndham subsidiaries. The Company does not believe that the impact of any resolution of pre-existing contingent liabilities in connection with the spin-offs should result in a material liability to the Company in relation to its consolidated financial position or liquidity, as Realogy and Wyndham each have agreed to assume responsibility for these liabilities. The Company is also named in litigation that is primarily related to the businesses of its former subsidiaries, including Realogy and Wyndham. The Company is entitled to indemnification from such entities for any liability resulting from such litigation.

In February 2015, the French Competition Authority issued a statement of objections alleging that several car rental companies, including the Company and two of its European subsidiaries, engaged with (i) twelve French airports, the majority of which are controlled by public administrative bodies or the French state, violated competition law through the distribution of company-specific statistics by airports to car rental companies operating at those airports; and (ii) two other international car rental companies in a concerted practice relating to train station surcharges. The Company believes that it has valid defenses and intends to vigorously defend against the allegations, but it is currently unable to predict the outcome of the proceedings or range of reasonably possible losses, which may be material.

Additionally, in March 2015, the Canadian Competition Bureau filed an application with the Competition Tribunal alleging that the Company and two of its Canadian subsidiaries engaged in deceptive marketing practices with regard to certain charges that consumers are invoiced related to renting a vehicle and associated products in Canada. The application seeks penalties against the Company and its subsidiaries totaling approximately $25 million as well as reimbursements to current and former customers of amounts collected and retained by the Company related to the alleged deceptive marketing practices. The Company believes that it has valid defenses and intends to vigorously defend against the allegations, but it is currently unable to predict the outcome of the proceedings or range of reasonably possible losses, which may be material.

The Company is involved in claims, legal proceedings and governmental inquiries related, among other things, to its vehicle rental operations, including contract and licensee disputes, competition matters, employment matters, insurance claims, intellectual property claims, business practice disputes and other regulatory, environmental, commercial and tax matters. Litigation is inherently unpredictable and, although the Company believes that its accruals are adequate and/or that it has valid defenses in these matters, unfavorable resolutions could occur. Excluding the French and Canadian competition matters discussed above, the Company estimates that the potential exposure resulting from adverse outcomes of legal proceedings in which it is reasonably possible that a loss may be incurred could, in the aggregate, be up to approximately $25 million in excess of amounts accrued as of December 31, 2015; however, the Company does not believe that the impact should result in a material liability to the Company in relation to its consolidated financial condition or results of operations.
Commitments to Purchase Vehicles
The Company maintains agreements with vehicle manufacturers under which the Company has agreed to purchase approximately $7.2 billion of vehicles from manufacturers over the next 12 months. The majority of these commitments are subject to the vehicle manufacturers satisfying their obligations under their respective repurchase and guaranteed depreciation agreements. The purchase of such vehicles is financed primarily through the issuance of vehicle-backed debt and cash received upon the disposition of vehicles.
Other Purchase Commitments
In the normal course of business, the Company makes various commitments to purchase other goods or services from specific suppliers, including those related to marketing, advertising, computer services and capital expenditures. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had approximately $160 million of purchase obligations, which extend through 2020.
Concentrations
Concentrations of credit risk at December 31, 2015, include (i) risks related to the Company’s repurchase and guaranteed depreciation agreements with domestic and foreign car manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Peugeot, Volkswagen, Fiat, Kia, Toyota, Mercedes, Renault and Hyundai, and primarily with respect to receivables for program cars that have been disposed but for which the Company has not yet received payment from the manufacturers and (ii) risks related to Realogy and Wyndham, including receivables of $54 million and $33 million, respectively, related to certain contingent, income tax and other corporate liabilities assumed by Realogy and Wyndham in connection with their disposition.
Asset Retirement Obligations
The Company maintains a liability for asset retirement obligations. An asset retirement obligation is a legal obligation to perform certain activities in connection with the retirement, disposal or abandonment of assets. The Company’s asset retirement obligations, which are measured at discounted fair values, are primarily related to the removal of underground gasoline storage tanks at its rental facilities. Liabilities accrued for asset retirement obligations were $24 million and $25 million at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Standard Guarantees/Indemnifications
In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into numerous agreements that contain standard guarantees and indemnities whereby the Company agrees to indemnify another party, among other things, for performance under contracts and any breaches of representations and warranties thereunder. In addition, many of these parties are also indemnified against any third-party claim resulting from the transaction that is contemplated in the underlying agreement. Such guarantees or indemnifications are granted under various agreements, including those governing (i) purchases, sales or outsourcing of assets or businesses, (ii) leases of real estate, (iii) licensing of trademarks, (iv) access to credit facilities and use of derivatives and (v) issuances of debt or equity securities. The guarantees or indemnifications issued are for the benefit of the (i) buyers in sale agreements and sellers in purchase agreements, (ii) landlords in lease contracts, (iii) licensees under licensing agreements, (iv) financial institutions in credit facility arrangements and derivative contracts and (v) underwriters and placement agents in debt or equity security issuances. While some of these guarantees extend only for the duration of the underlying agreement, many may survive the expiration of the term of the agreement or extend into perpetuity (unless subject to a legal statute of limitations). There are no specific limitations on the maximum potential amount of future payments that the Company could be required to make under these guarantees, nor is the Company able to develop an estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments to be made under these guarantees as the triggering events are not subject to predictability. With respect to certain of the aforementioned guarantees, such as indemnifications provided to landlords against third-party claims for the use of real estate property leased by the Company, the Company maintains insurance coverage that mitigates its potential exposure.