AutoNation Sales Soar 35% - Analyst Blog

AutoNation Inc. (AN) sold 18,040 retail new vehicles in September, a 35% rise from the same month of 2009. The sales growth was higher than the overall industry growth of 29% during the month. However, AutoNation’s new car sales inched up 3% to 56,340 units in the third quarter of the year.

Sales of the Domestic brands, which comprise stores that sell vehicles manufactured by General Motors (MTLQQ), Ford Motor Co. (F) and Chrysler LLC, surged 54% to 5,353 units in September.

Sales of the Import brands, comprising stores that sell vehicles manufactured primarily by Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), Honda Motor Co. (HMC) and Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY), soared 34% to 9,558 units.

Meanwhile, sales of the Premium Luxury brands, comprising stores that sell vehicles by Daimler AG’s (DDAIF) Mercedes Benz, BMW and Toyota Lexus, increased 14% to 3,129 units.

In September, auto sales in the U.S. were helped by stable gasoline prices and strong sales at Ford and Chrysler. Sales at Ford, comprising own, Lincoln and Mercury brands, surged 46% to 160,873 units, strongly driven by new Ford Edge and new Lincoln MKX crossovers.

Meanwhile, sales at Chrysler (including the own, Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands) leapt 61% to 100,077 units. All of its brands performed exceptionally well, especially Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.

AutoNation is the largest automotive retailer in the U.S. and is about twice the size of its nearest competitor. As of September 30, 2010, the company owned and operated more than 250 dealerships located in major metropolitan markets in 15 states.