Auto Dealerships
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 17,000 new car dealerships in the US typically manage five distinct departments: New Vehicle Sales, Used Vehicle Sales, Finance and Insurance (F&I), Parts, and Service. One-third of all US new car dealerships also offer collision and body shop services. Used car sales, financing, and parts and repairs tend to be more profitable divisions for dealers.
Low Profitability
Customers are increasingly savvy about the true price of a vehicle, using the Internet as a tool to find the best price and to sniff out extraneous up-sells.
Dependence on Financing
Dealers purchase vehicles at the time of acquisition, not when a car is sold to a customer.
Industry size & Structure
A typical new car dealership employs around 50 people and has total annual revenue of over $64.7 million.
- There are about 17,000 new car dealerships in the US with total annual sales of over $1.1 trillion.
- The average new car dealership sells just over 1,000 vehicles per year. The average price of a new vehicle is about $47,200, a figure that generally has tracked closely with inflation over the past decade but accelerated during the pandemic.
- Traditionally, franchised dealers held around 2 million domestic vehicles in inventory and 1.7-1.9 million imports. A typical dealer had a 65-75-day supply of domestic vehicles in inventory and a 50-55-day of imports. Post-pandemic, franchise dealers are holding some 1.8 million domestic vehicles and about 430,000 imports. Now, a typical dealer has a 44-day supply of domestic vehicles in inventory and a 35-day of imports.
- Popular brands include GM (16.7% of total new car sales), Toyota (14.5%), Ford (12.5%), Hyundai (10.7%), Stellantis (Fiat Chrysler, PSA Group – 9.8%), and Honda (8.5%).
- The largest auto dealership groups in the US include AutoNation, Lithia Motors, Penske Automotive, and Sonic Automotive.
Industry Forecast
Auto Dealerships Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Nov 18, 2024 - Inflation Declines, Labor Costs Up
- Producer inflation for auto dealerships declined 19% in September 2024 compared to a year ago, according to producer price data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment by auto dealerships grew 1.7% in October 2024 compared to a year ago. Average wages for nonsupervisory employees at auto dealerships reached $28.54 per hour in September 2024, a decline of 2%. In October 2024, prices for new cars and trucks declined by 1.9% and 1.2%, respectively, compared to the previous year, according to Consumer Price Index data. Compared to September 2024, prices for new cars and new trucks were down 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, in October 2024.
- According to a report in Nikkei Asia, the election of Donald Trump as president could raise US auto production costs by $40 billion due to his plans for 10-20% tariffs on all imports and additional tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese goods. The increased tariffs could have a major impact on the auto industry, which has sales of 15 million vehicles per year. Many of the vehicles are imported from Mexico, Canada, and Japan. The tariffs would apply to finished cars and auto parts. Mexico accounted for over 40% of auto parts imported into the US in the first half of 2024. According to calculations by consulting firm AlixPartners, higher tariffs on imported parts could increase the manufacturing cost per US-made car by up to $4,000. It is expected that the tariffs would lead automakers to increase production in the US. While research nonprofit organization Tax Foundation estimates the tariffs could increase US revenue by $3.8 trillion in the long term, it is anticipated that companies will cover the higher costs by raising prices, per the report.
- The US auto dealerships industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5% between 2024 and 2028, according to a forecast from Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The expected growth rate is faster than the overall economy‘s anticipated growth. The report noted that consumer confidence is expected to improve in the forecast period, which bodes well for the retail and wholesale industries. Factors that continue to limit consumer spending are lower consumer sentiment levels, higher interest rate levels, and elevated price levels. According to the report, “Auto sales have been limited by supply constraints and more recently by higher financing costs, but vehicle sales may continue to rise as supplies improve and the Federal Reserve eventually reduces policy interest rates.” In addition, inflation is subsiding, which supports a moderate increase of real disposable income by about 1.9% in 2024 and 2.4% in 2025.
- Consumers pre-ordering build-to-order (BTO) vehicles in North America direct from OEMs continued to grow in 2023, though slower than expected, according to new survey data by Cox Automotive in Wards Auto. According to the survey of 1,932 consumers in February, 221 consumers bought from legacy OEMs such as Ford, and 46 bought from start-ups such as Rivian and Tesla in the previous 12 months. That equated to 14% of new build-to-order vehicle buyers in 2023, compared to 17% in 2022 and 9% in 2021. According to Sean Tucker, a senior editor at Cox's Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, "We'll see more 'build-to-order' over time, but I think it's taking a lot longer than most people thought, especially during the pandemic." The report also showed that nearly three-quarters of build-to-order and dealer buyers were happy with their purchase. US start-up Lucid Motors offers consumers choices online for color, appearance, and extras such as heated seats, sound systems, and driver-assistance systems with transparent pricing. Offering customers additional customization options may help automakers charge more for extra accessories.
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