Sonic Automotive, Inc. Honored for Best Shareholder Returns in 2004

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 28, 2005 -- Sonic Automotive, Inc. won top honors for Best Shareholder Returns in 2004 among the U.S. automotive retailers. The award, jointly presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Automotive News at the annual Automotive News World Congress in Dearborn, Mich., recognized the company's 10.3 percent increase in stock value through 2004.

"According to Automotive News, high sales growth, increased post-sale revenue through financing and insurance, and a push toward improving same store metrics have helped us post a positive return for the year," said Jeff Rachor, Sonic Automotive's president and chief operating officer. "This award is a tribute to the many associates at dealerships across the country who recognized the need to improve operational performance and took the initiative to deliver results."

Award selection was based on a PricewaterhouseCoopers Shareholder Value Indices that calculate total shareholder return, accounting for rises and falls in a company's share price, dividends, share buy-backs, new share issues and reinvestment of any cash dividends. The index average is weighted by market capitalization -- a company's share price multiplied by shares outstanding -- so the performance of companies with larger market caps has a greater impact on the index.

Within the automotive sector, award categories included manufacturers, public retailers and suppliers. In each category, awards recognized best single year and three-year performance.

The 29th annual Automotive News World Congress convened at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the awards were presented Wednesday, Jan. 19.

Sonic Automotive, Inc., a Fortune 300 company, is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States operating 192 franchises and 40 collision repair centers. Sonic can be reached on the Web at http://www.sonicautomotive.com/ .

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