All six public retailers raised finance-and-insurance profits in the first quarter, bolstered by strong vehicle sales margins and dwindling vehicle supplies.
AutoNation Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., posted the highest F&I profit per vehicle in the quarter with $2,218, a 6.1 percent increase over first-quarter 2020. AutoNation was the only public retailer in the quarter to report profit per vehicle over $2,000.
The other public groups reported these results in same-store F&I profit per vehicle.
- Group 1 Automotive, of Houston, up 3.1%, or $58, to $1,931.
- Sonic Automotive Inc., of Charlotte, N.C., up 8.1%, or $135, to $1,807.
- Asbury Automotive Group, of Duluth, Ga., up 6.8 percent, or $114, to $1,798.
- Lithia Motors, of Medford, Ore., up 7.5 percent, or $117, to $1,674.
- Penske Automotive Group, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., up 12 percent, or $160, to $1,523.