According to the annual Automotive Franchise Activity Report, produced by automotive consulting firm, Urban Science, the average number of new vehicle sales per U.S. dealership rose 4.8% in 2015 to 966 units. That is the fourth consecutive annual record.
The study also found that last year was the sixth consecutive year of per-store sales growth. The U.S. auto industry set a record of 17.5 million light vehicle sales in 2015. Last year’s per-store sales increase came as the U.S. dealership total remained mostly flat. The number of dealerships rose 0.7% during 2015 to 18,087, while the number of franchises—the brands dealerships offer—rose 0.5%. Those numbers have been largely consistent since 2010.
The study found that 96% of local markets nationwide had virtually no change in the number of dealerships.