Sonic Automotive, Inc. Schedules Release of Fourth Quarter, Year End Results and Conference Call

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 18 -- Sonic Automotive, Inc.
today announced it will release fiscal 2002 fourth quarter and
year end financial results on Tuesday, March 4, 2003 at 7:30 A.M. (Eastern).
Senior management will hold a conference call at 11:00 A.M. (Eastern).
    To access the live broadcast of the call over the Internet go to:
http://www.vcall.com or http://www.sonicautomotive.com
    A live audio of the call will be accessible to the public by calling
(877) 791-3416.  International callers dial (706) 643-0958.  Callers should
dial in approximately 10 minutes before the call begins.
    A conference call replay will be available one hour following the call for
seven days and can be accessed by calling:
800-642-1687, Conference ID: 8430086.
    Sonic Automotive, Inc., a Fortune 300 Company, is one of the largest
automotive retailers in the United States operating 187 franchises and
44 collision repair centers.  Sonic can be reached on the Web at:
http://www.sonicautomotive.com

    Contact:  J. Todd Atenhan, Investor Relations of Sonic Automotive, Inc.
             (888) 766-4218.
              Bill Steers, Media Relations of Sonic Automotive, Inc.
             (888) 766-4219.