The nation's 16,600 franchised light-vehicle dealerships reached a record $1.18 trillion in sales in 2021, according to NADA.
That was $153 billion more than the previous industry high of $1.027 trillion in 2019.
Strong sales will likely continue through 2022, NADA Chief Economist Patrick Manzi said at a press conference Saturday.
Sales were up last year across all major dealership departments — new, used and fixed ops, he said.