AutoNation June sales increase 10 percent
AutoNation's June sales rise 10 percent on jump in demand for domestic cars and trucks
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- AutoNation Inc. said Wednesday that its June new vehicle sales rose 10 percent to 25,162, helped by a double-digit increase in demand for domestic vehicles.
Sales of domestic vehicles jumped 15 percent to 8,130, while sales of imported cars and trucks rose 8 percent to 12,460. Sales of premium luxury vehicles increased 8 percent to 4,572.
The company said its revenue at stores open at least a year increased 5 percent. The metric is a key measure of a retailer's health, because it excludes revenue at stores that recently opened or closed.
For the second quarter, AutoNation said its overall sales increased 10 percent from year-ago levels. Domestic sales rose 16 percent, while sales of imported vehicles rose 7 percent and premium luxury sales increased 10 percent.
Revenue at stores open at least a year increased 7 percent for the quarter.
On Tuesday, automakers reported a combined 9 percent increase in June U.S. sales. And their sales for the January through June period marked their best first half since 2007, according to Autodata Corp. and Ward's AutoInfoBank.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based AutoNation said it plans to report its July sales on Aug. 2.
AutoNation shares rose 79 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $45.35 in morning trading. They are up more than 8 percent for the last three months.
