Urban Science: U.S. Auto Retail Network On Track To Achieve Another Record Average Sales Per Store

Network on track to top 2014 record by more than 20 units per store

- Number of U.S. dealerships and franchises remains stable

- Texas, California and Florida top the list of states that added the most dealerships

DETROIT -- Aug. 11, 2015: Urban Science released statistics and insights today from its 2015 midyear Automotive Franchise Activity Report (FAR), which projects that throughput—the average number of sales per dealership—is trending to achieve an all-time record of 945 units based on vehicle sales of 17.1 million*. This all-time high will mark the fourth straight year the U.S. dealership network set a new throughput record.

The most recent FAR shows a slight increase in the number of automotive dealerships in the United States since the end of 2014. As of July 1, 2015, there were 18,011 dealerships (rooftops), a 0.3 percent increase from Dec. 31, 2014 total of 17,953. The number of franchises (brands a dealership sells) also increased slightly 0.3 percent – from 31,609 on Dec. 31, 2014, to 31,714 as of July 1, 2015.

"Dealership and Franchise counts remain stable throughout the first half of 2015. Most local markets have not seen any net change in dealership counts at all," said Mitch Phillips, global director at Urban Science.

"Breaking the sales throughput record looks promising. With a strong industry forecast and this stable dealer count, we are on track to top the 2014 record."

While the majority of local markets have not experienced a change in the number of dealerships, the following areas have experienced the most significant increases through the midyear: Texas (increase of 10 dealerships), California (increase of eight), Florida (increase of seven) and Iowa, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia all with an increase of five dealerships each.

*Unit sales of 17.1 million forecasted by LMC Automotive.

About the Automotive Franchise Activity Report

Urban Science maintains a list of current new vehicle dealership and franchise information for all car and light truck brands in the United States. Compiled on a monthly basis, the census is the most reliable source of dealership statistics. The data comes from a variety of sources, including feeds from automotive manufacturers as well as phone and field verification. Urban Science has been collecting this information since 1990 and compiles a yearly analysis every February for the previous year in its annual Automotive Franchise Activity Report.