Lithia Motors Inc., once the smallest publicly traded dealership group before embarking on a multiyear dealership buying spree, surpassed longtime No. 1 AutoNation Inc. in new vehicles sold in 2022.
Lithia retailed 271,596 new vehicles last year, up 4.2 percent, and more than 40,000 vehicles more than AutoNation, which retailed 229,971 new vehicles, a 12 percent drop, in 2022.
Lithia retailed 68,159 new vehicles in the fourth quarter, up 5.2 percent. AutoNation also saw a fourth quarter increase with retail sales of 60,074 new vehicles, up 4.3 percent.
Lithia’s figures include a small but undisclosed number of vehicles sold in Canada, including those from a Harley-Davidson store, as well as recreational vehicles sold at RV stores in the Western U.S. that were acquired by Lithia in October.