AutoNation (AN) 10-K2022 FY Annual report

We offer a diversified range of automotive products and services, including new vehicles, used vehicles, “parts and service” (also referred to as “After-Sales”), which includes automotive repair and maintenance services as well as wholesale parts and collision businesses, and automotive “finance and insurance” products (also referred to as “Customer Financial Services”), which include vehicle service and other protection products, as well as the arranging of financing for vehicle purchases through third-party finance sources. We also offer indirect financing on certain vehicles we sell, as well as on installment contracts acquired by our captive finance company through third-party independent dealers. The following charts present the contribution to total revenue and gross profit by each of new vehicle, used vehicle, parts and service, and finance and insurance sales in 2022.

For convenience, the terms “AutoNation,” “Company,” and “we” are used to refer collectively to AutoNation, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise required by the context. Our store operations are conducted by our subsidiaries.

The following table sets forth information regarding our new vehicle revenues and retail new vehicle unit sales for the year ended, and the number of franchises owned as of, December 31, 2022:

The franchises in each segment also sell used vehicles, parts and automotive repair and maintenance services, and automotive finance and insurance products. For the year ended December 31, 2022, Premium Luxury revenue represented 38% of total revenue, Domestic revenue represented 30% of total revenue, and Import revenue represented 28% of total revenue. For additional financial information regarding our three reportable segments, refer to Note 23 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Except to the extent that differences among reportable segments are material to an understanding of our business taken as a whole, the description of our business in this report is presented on a consolidated basis.

Our business benefits from a well-diversified portfolio of automotive retail franchises. In 2022, approximately 43% of our segment income for reportable segments was generated by Premium Luxury franchises, approximately 32% by Import franchises, and approximately 25% by Domestic franchises. We believe that our business also benefits from diverse revenue streams generated by our new and used vehicle sales, parts and service business, and finance and insurance sales. Our higher-margin parts and service business has historically been less sensitive to macroeconomic conditions as compared to new and used vehicle sales. In addition, we have been able to increase our finance and insurance gross profit per vehicle retailed as we have increased the penetration of products sold per vehicle.

Our capital allocation strategy is focused on growing long-term value per share. We invest capital in our business to maintain and upgrade our existing facilities and to build new facilities for existing franchises and new AutoNation USA used vehicle stores, as well as for other strategic and technology initiatives. We also deploy capital opportunistically to complete acquisitions or investments, build facilities for newly awarded franchises, and/or repurchase our common stock and/or debt. Our capital allocation decisions are based on factors such as the expected rate of return on our investment, the market price of our common stock versus our view of its intrinsic value, the market price of our debt, the potential impact on our capital structure, our ability to complete acquisitions that meet our market and vehicle brand criteria and/or return on investment threshold, and limitations set forth in our debt agreements. For additional information regarding our capital allocation, refer to “Liquidity and Capital Resources – Capital Allocation” in Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K.

Our stores provide a wide range of vehicle maintenance, repair, and collision repair services, including manufacturer recall repairs and other warranty work that can be performed only at franchised dealerships and customer-pay service work. Our parts and service departments also recondition used vehicles acquired by our used vehicle departments and perform preparatory work and accessory installation on new vehicles acquired by our new vehicle departments. In addition to our retail business, we also have wholesale parts operations, which sell automotive parts to both collision repair shops and independent vehicle repair providers. We also offer AutoNation PrecisionParts and AutoNation AutoGear, product and accessory lines that are integrated into our parts and service operations.

We offer a wide variety of automotive finance and insurance products to our customers. We primarily arrange for our customers to finance vehicles through installment loans or leases with third-party lenders, including the vehicle manufacturers’ and distributors’ captive finance subsidiaries, and receive a commission payable to us from the lender. Our exposure to loss in connection with financing arrangements with third-party lenders generally is limited to the commissions that we receive. Following the acquisition of CIG Financial in the fourth quarter of 2022, we also started to originate and service consumer auto finance loans.

We also offer our customers various vehicle protection products, including extended service contracts, maintenance programs, guaranteed auto protection (known as “GAP,” this protection covers the shortfall between a customer’s loan balance and insurance payoff in the event of a casualty), “tire and wheel” protection, and theft protection products, many of which are AutoNation-branded. These products are underwritten and administered by independent third parties, including the vehicle manufacturers’ and distributors’ captive finance subsidiaries. We sell the products on a commission basis, and we also participate in future underwriting profit for certain products pursuant to retrospective commission arrangements with the issuers of those products.

As of December 31, 2022, we operated stores in the following states:

Framework Agreements

Most of our stores utilize aboveground storage tanks and, to a lesser extent, underground storage tanks, primarily for petroleum-based products. Storage tanks are subject to periodic testing, containment, upgrading, and removal under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and its state law counterparts. Clean-up or other remedial action may be necessary in the event of leaks or other discharges from storage tanks or other sources. In addition, water quality protection programs under the federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act), the Safe Drinking Water Act, and comparable state and local programs govern certain discharges from some of our operations. Similarly, certain air emissions from operations, such as auto body painting, may be subject to the federal Clean Air Act and related state and local laws. Certain health and safety standards promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor and related state agencies also apply.

Some of our stores are parties to proceedings under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or CERCLA, typically in connection with materials that were sent to former recycling, treatment, and/or disposal facilities owned and operated by independent businesses. The remediation or clean-up of facilities where the release of a regulated hazardous substance occurred is required under CERCLA and other laws.

We have a proactive strategy related to environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations, which includes contracting with third-party vendors to inspect our facilities routinely in an effort to ensure compliance. We incur significant costs to comply with applicable environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations in the ordinary course of our business. We do not anticipate, however, that the costs of such compliance will have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition, although such outcome is possible given the nature of our operations and the extensive environmental, health, and safety regulatory framework. We do not have any material known environmental commitments or contingencies.

New vehicle unit volume has been impacted by a limited supply of new vehicles to sell driven largely by disruptions in the manufacturers’ supply chains. We expect that reduced levels of new vehicle availability will continue into 2023. We have prioritized our capital expenditures towards opportunities with the greatest return potential. We continue to expand

According to industry sources, as of December 31, 2022, there were approximately 16,800 franchised automotive dealerships, which sell both new and used vehicles, in the United States. In addition, we estimate that there were approximately twice as many independent used vehicle dealers in the United States. We face competition from (i) several public companies that operate numerous automotive retail stores or collision centers on a regional or national basis, including franchised dealers that sell new and used vehicles, non-franchised dealers that sell only used vehicles, and manufacturers that sell directly to customers, (ii) private companies that operate automotive retail stores or collision centers in our markets, and (iii) online and mobile sales platforms. We compete with dealers that sell the same vehicle brands that we sell, as well as dealers and certain manufacturers that sell other vehicle brands that we do not represent in a particular market. Our new vehicle store competitors have franchise agreements with the various vehicle manufacturers and, as such, generally have access to new vehicles on the same terms as we have. We also compete with other dealers for qualified employees, including general managers and sales and service personnel.

In general, the vehicle manufacturers have designated marketing and sales areas within which only one franchised dealer of a given vehicle brand may operate. Under most framework agreements with vehicle manufacturers, the ability to acquire multiple dealers of a given vehicle brand within a particular market is limited. Dealers are also restricted by various state franchise laws from relocating stores or establishing new stores of a particular vehicle brand within any area that is served by another dealer of the same vehicle brand, and generally need the manufacturer to approve any relocation or the grant of a new franchise. However, to the extent that a market has multiple dealers of a particular vehicle brand, as most of our key markets do with respect to most vehicle brands we sell, we face significant intra-brand competition.

We also compete with independent automobile service shops, service center chains, collision service operations, and wholesale parts outlets. We believe that the principal competitive factors in the parts and service business are price, location, expertise with the particular vehicle lines, and customer service. We also compete with a broad range of financial institutions in our finance and insurance business. We believe that the principal competitive factors in the finance and insurance business are product selection, convenience, price, contract terms, and the ability to finance vehicle protection and aftermarket products.

We also operate in the auto finance sector of the consumer finance market. This sector is primarily comprised of banks, captive finance divisions of new car manufacturers, credit unions, and independent finance companies. According to industry sources, this sector represented more than $1 trillion in outstanding receivables as of December 31, 2022. Our primary competitors in this sector are banks and credit unions that offer direct and indirect financing to customers purchasing used cars.

The automotive retail business is also subject to substantial risk of property loss due to the significant concentration of property values at store locations. In our case in particular, our operations are concentrated in states and regions in which natural disasters and severe weather events (such as hailstorms, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, snowstorms, and landslides) may subject us to substantial risk of property loss and operational disruption. Under self-insurance programs, we retain various levels of aggregate loss limits, per claim deductibles, and claims-handling expenses as part of our various insurance programs, including property and casualty, automobile, workers’ compensation, and employee medical benefits. Costs in excess of this retained risk per claim may be insured under various contracts with third-party insurance carriers. We estimate the ultimate costs of these retained insurance risks based on actuarial evaluations and historical claims experience, adjusted for current trends and changes in claims-handling procedures. The level of risk we retain may change in the future as insurance market conditions or other factors affecting the economics of our insurance purchasing change. Although we have, subject to certain limitations and exclusions, substantial insurance, we cannot assure you that we will not be exposed to uninsured or underinsured losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Provisions for retained losses and deductibles are made by charges to expense based upon periodic evaluations of the estimated ultimate liabilities on reported and unreported claims. The insurance companies that underwrite our insurance require that we secure certain of our obligations for deductible reimbursements with collateral. Our collateral requirements are set by the insurance companies and, to date, have been satisfied by posting surety bonds, letters of credit, and/or cash deposits. Our collateral requirements may change from time to time based on, among other things, our claims experience.

We fund national cancer research and treatment facilities from coast to coast through our philanthropic activities. Through the combined efforts of our 23,600 associates, vendors, partners, customers, and executive leadership, we have raised and donated over $35 million to support the world-class AutoNation Institute for Breast Cancer Research and Care, the Moffitt Cancer Center, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, and other leading cancer facilities.

Our presence is felt at local community-based cancer events, as teams of our associates represent AutoNation at runs, walks, and other fundraisers. Yearly, AutoNation celebrates Drive Pink Across America Day by providing our associates with opportunities to deliver thousands of “Totes for Hope” bags stuffed with comfort items for children and adults undergoing cancer care at hospitals in our markets.

Vehicles sold at our AutoNation locations are fitted with a pink license plate frame as a symbol of our commitment to “driving out” cancer. Millions of pink license plate frames have been distributed to date.

Our Board of Directors consists of a diverse group of leaders. Many of them have experience serving as executive officers or on boards and board committees of major companies. Many of them also have extensive corporate finance and investment banking experience as well as a broad understanding of capital markets. A majority of our Board of Directors is independent, and each of the members of our audit, compensation, and corporate governance and nominating committees is independent. Each of our directors must stand for re-election annually and are elected by a majority of our shareholders. In addition, Rick L. Burdick, one of our independent directors, currently serves as our Chairman of the Board.

We believe that many factors affect sales of new and used vehicles and automotive retailers’ gross profit margins in the United States and in our particular geographic markets, including the economy, fuel prices, credit availability, interest rates, consumer confidence, consumer shopping preferences and the success of third-party online and mobile sales platforms, the level of personal discretionary spending, labor force participation and unemployment rates, the state of housing markets, vehicle production levels and capacity, auto emission and fuel economy standards, the rate of inflation, currency exchange rates, tariffs, manufacturer incentives (and consumers’ reaction to such offers), intense industry competition, the prospects of war, other international conflicts or terrorist attacks, global pandemics, severe weather events, product quality, affordability and innovation, the number of consumers whose vehicle leases are expiring, the length of consumer loans on existing vehicles, and the rise of ride-sharing applications. Changes in interest rates can significantly impact new and used vehicle sales and vehicle affordability due to the direct relationship between interest rates and monthly loan payments, a critical factor for many vehicle buyers, and the impact interest rates have on customers’ borrowing capacity and disposable income. Sales of certain vehicles, particularly trucks and sport utility vehicles that historically have provided us with higher gross profit per vehicle retailed, are sensitive to fuel prices and the level of construction activity. In addition, rapid changes in fuel prices can cause shifts in consumer preferences which are difficult to accommodate given the long lead-time of inventory acquisition. The imposition of new tariffs, quotas, duties, or other restrictions or limitations could increase prices for vehicles and/or parts imported into the United States and adversely impact demand for such vehicles and/or parts. Our vehicle sales, service, and collision businesses could also be adversely affected by changes in the automotive industry driven by new technologies, distribution channels, or products, including ride-sharing applications, subscription services, autonomous and electric vehicles, and accident avoidance technology.

Approximately 13.9 million, 15.1 million, and 14.6 million new vehicles, including retail and fleet vehicles, were sold in the United States in 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively. Our performance may differ from the performance of the automotive retail industry due to particular economic conditions and other factors in the geographic markets in which we operate. Economic conditions and the other factors described above may also materially adversely impact our sales of parts and

Most vehicle manufacturers from time to time establish various marketing and sales incentive programs designed to spur consumer demand for their vehicles, particularly during periods of excess supply and/or in a flat or declining new vehicle sales market. These programs impact our operations, particularly our sales of new vehicles. Since these programs are often not announced in advance, they can be difficult to plan for when ordering inventory. Furthermore, manufacturers may modify and discontinue these marketing and incentive programs from time to time, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

In prior years, our new vehicle unit volume and new vehicle gross profit on a per vehicle retailed basis were adversely impacted by certain manufacturers’ disruptive marketing and sales incentive programs based upon store-level growth targets established by those manufacturers (commonly referred to as “stair-step” incentive programs), which result in multi-tier pricing and adversely impact our ability to compete with other dealers. If those manufacturers continue to use such incentive programs or if other manufacturers adopt similar incentive programs, our operating results could be adversely impacted.

The success of our stores is dependent on vehicle manufacturers in several key respects. First, we rely exclusively on the various vehicle manufacturers for our new vehicle inventory. Our ability to sell new vehicles is dependent on a vehicle manufacturer’s ability to design, manufacture, and allocate to our stores an attractive, high-quality, and desirable product mix at the right time and at the right price in order to satisfy customer demand. Second, manufacturers generally support their franchisees by providing direct financial assistance in various areas, including, among others, floorplan assistance and advertising assistance. Third, manufacturers provide product warranties and, in some cases, service contracts to customers.

Our stores perform warranty and service contract work for vehicles under manufacturer product warranties and service contracts, and direct bill the manufacturer as opposed to invoicing the store customer. At any particular time, we have significant receivables from manufacturers for warranty and service work performed for customers. In addition, we rely on manufacturers to varying extents for original equipment manufactured replacement parts, training, product brochures and point of sale materials, and other items for our stores. Our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected as a result of any event that has a material adverse effect on the vehicle manufacturers or distributors that are our primary franchisors.

The core brands of vehicles that we sell, representing approximately 89% of the new vehicles that we sold in 2022, are manufactured by Toyota (including Lexus), Honda, BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Stellantis, and Volkswagen (including Audi and Porsche). We are subject to a concentration of risk in the event of adverse events or financial distress, including bankruptcy, impacting one or more of these manufacturers.

Vehicle manufacturers may be adversely impacted by economic downturns or recessions, significant declines in the sales of their new vehicles, natural disasters, increases in interest rates, adverse fluctuations in currency exchange rates, declines in their credit ratings, liquidity concerns, labor strikes or similar disruptions (including within their major suppliers), supply shortages or rising raw material costs, rising employee benefit costs, vehicle recall campaigns, adverse publicity that may reduce consumer demand for their products (including due to bankruptcy), product defects, litigation, poor product mix or unappealing vehicle design, governmental laws and regulations (including fuel economy requirements), tariffs and other import product restrictions, the rise of ride-sharing applications, or other adverse events. These and other risks could materially adversely affect any manufacturer and impact its ability to profitably design, market, produce, or distribute new vehicles, which in turn could materially adversely affect our ability to obtain or finance our desired new vehicle inventories, our ability to take advantage of manufacturer financial assistance programs, our ability to collect in full or on a timely basis our manufacturer warranty and other receivables, and/or our ability to obtain other goods and services provided by the impacted manufacturer. In addition, vehicle recall campaigns could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Vehicle manufacturers worldwide have recently faced production disruptions caused by a shortage of automotive microchips. The shortage is reported to be due to the overall high demand for microchips in the global economy. Prolonged shortages of new vehicle inventory could result in lower new vehicle sales volumes and a decrease in the total amount of gross profit we derive from new vehicle sales, which could adversely affect our business. Additionally, the shortage of new vehicles has increased market demand for used vehicles, increasing our costs of acquiring used vehicle inventory. Resolution of the microchip shortage should lead to an increase in the supply of new vehicles, which may adversely affect levels of profitability on both new and used vehicles.

Our business could be materially adversely impacted by the bankruptcy of a major vehicle manufacturer or related lender. For example, (i) a manufacturer in bankruptcy could attempt to terminate all or certain of our franchises, in which case we may not receive adequate compensation for our franchises, (ii) consumer demand for such manufacturer’s products could be materially adversely affected, (iii) a lender in bankruptcy could attempt to terminate our floorplan financing and demand repayment of any amounts outstanding, (iv) we may be unable to arrange financing for our customers for their vehicle purchases and leases through such lender, in which case we would be required to seek financing with alternate financing sources, which may be difficult to obtain on similar terms, if at all, (v) we may be unable to collect some or all of our significant receivables that are due from such manufacturer or lender, and we may be subject to preference claims relating to payments made by such manufacturer or lender prior to bankruptcy, and (vi) such manufacturer may be relieved of its indemnification obligations with respect to product liability claims. Additionally, any such bankruptcy may result in us being required to incur impairment charges with respect to the inventory, fixed assets, and intangible assets related to certain franchises, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Vehicle manufacturers and distributors with whom we hold franchises have significant influence over the operations of our stores. The terms and conditions of our framework, franchise, and related agreements and the manufacturers’ interests and objectives may, in certain circumstances, conflict with our interests and objectives. For example, manufacturers can set performance standards with respect to sales volume, sales effectiveness, and customer satisfaction or loyalty, and can influence our ability to acquire additional stores, the naming and marketing of our stores, our digital channels, our selection of store management, product stocking and advertising spending levels, and the level at which we capitalize our stores. Manufacturers also impose minimum facility requirements that can require significant capital expenditures. Manufacturers may also have certain rights to restrict our ability to provide guaranties of our operating companies, pledges of the capital stock of our subsidiaries, and liens on our assets, which could adversely impact our ability to obtain financing for our business and operations on favorable terms or at desired levels. From time to time, we are precluded under agreements with certain manufacturers from acquiring additional franchises, or subject to other adverse actions, to the extent we are not

Manufacturers also have the right to establish new franchises or relocate existing franchises, subject to applicable state franchise laws. The establishment or relocation of franchises in our markets could have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and prospects of our stores in the market in which the franchise action is taken.

Our framework, franchise, and related agreements also grant the manufacturer the right to terminate or compel us to sell our franchise for a variety of reasons (including uncured performance deficiencies, any unapproved change of ownership or management, or any unapproved transfer of franchise rights or impairment of financial standing or failure to meet capital requirements), subject to applicable state franchise laws. From time to time, certain major manufacturers assert sales and customer satisfaction performance deficiencies under the terms of our framework and franchise agreements. Additionally, our framework agreements contain restrictions regarding a change in control, which may be outside of our control. See “Agreements with Vehicle Manufacturers” in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K. While we believe that we will be able to renew all of our franchise agreements, we cannot guarantee that all of our franchise agreements will be renewed or that the terms of the renewals will be favorable to us. We cannot assure you that our stores will be able to comply with manufacturers’ sales, customer satisfaction, loyalty, performance, facility, and other requirements in the future, which may affect our ability to acquire new stores or renew our franchise agreements, or subject us to other adverse actions, including termination or compelled sale of a franchise, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and prospects. Furthermore, we rely on the protection of state franchise laws in the states in which we operate and if those laws are repealed or weakened, our framework, franchise, and related agreements may become more susceptible to termination, non-renewal, or renegotiation.

In addition, we have granted certain manufacturers the right to acquire, at fair market value, our automotive dealerships franchised by that manufacturer in specified circumstances in the event of our default under certain of our debt agreements.

We believe that we have built an excellent reputation as an automotive retailer in the United States. All of our Domestic and Import stores are unified under the AutoNation retail brand. We believe that our continued success will depend on our ability to maintain and enhance the value of our retail brands across all of our sales channels, including in the communities in which we operate, and to attract consumers to our own digital channels.

sales platforms, with which we compete, that are designed to generate consumer sales leads that are sold to automotive dealers. We have invested and will continue to invest substantial resources on offering our vehicles and services through digital channels. There can be no assurance that our initiatives and investments in digital channels will be successful or result in improved financial performance. We face increased competition for market share from other automotive retailers and sales platforms that have also invested substantial resources on offering their vehicles and services through digital channels. If we fail to preserve the value of our retail brands, maintain our reputation, or attract consumers to our own digital channels, our business could be adversely impacted.

An isolated business incident at a single store could materially adversely affect our other stores, retail brands, reputation, and sales channels, particularly if such incident results in adverse publicity, governmental investigations, or litigation. In addition, the growing use of social media by consumers increases the speed and extent that information and opinions can be shared, and negative posts or comments on social media about AutoNation or any of our stores could materially damage our retail brands, reputation, and sales channels.

Following our acquisition of CIG Financial in October 2022, we started to originate and service consumer auto finance loans. We are subject to various risks in this business, including the risk that our borrowers do not repay their loans and that the vehicle collateral securing the payment of their loans may not be sufficient to ensure full repayment. Credit losses are an inherent risk of our auto loan portfolio, and changes in the availability or cost of financing, such as our securitized funding sources or warehouse facilities, to support the origination of auto loans receivable could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, finance companies are highly regulated by governmental authorities, as discussed in the risk factors under the heading, “Risks Related to Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Matters.”

Concerns over the long-term impacts of climate change have led and will continue to lead to governmental initiatives aimed to mitigate those impacts. Consumers may also change their behavior as a result of these concerns. We will need to respond to new laws and regulations as well as consumer preferences resulting from climate change concerns which may affect vehicle manufacturers’ ability to produce cost effective vehicles. Laws and regulations enacted that directly or indirectly affect vehicle manufacturers (through an increase in the cost of production or their ability to produce satisfactory products) or our business (through an impact on our inventory availability, cost of sales, operations, or demand for the products we sell) could materially adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flow, and prospects.

In addition, vehicle manufacturers are subject to government-mandated fuel economy and greenhouse gas, or GHG, emission standards, which continue to change and become more stringent over time. Significant increases in fuel economy requirements or new federal or state restrictions on emissions of carbon dioxide that may be imposed on vehicles and automobile fuels could adversely affect demand for vehicles, annual miles driven, or the products we sell.

We are involved, and will continue to be involved, in numerous legal proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including litigation with customers, dealers (as a result of our acquisition of CIG Financial), wage and hour and other employment-related lawsuits, and actions brought by governmental authorities. Some of these lawsuits purport or may be determined to be class or collective actions and seek substantial damages or injunctive relief, or both, and some may remain unresolved for several years. We do not believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, or prospects. However, the results of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, and an unfavorable resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, and prospects.

The Dodd-Frank Act established the CFPB, an independent federal agency funded by the United States Federal Reserve with broad regulatory powers and limited oversight from the United States Congress. Although automotive dealers are generally excluded from the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB could engage in additional, indirect regulation of automotive dealers, in particular, their sale and marketing of finance and insurance products, through its regulation of automotive finance companies and other financial institutions. Further, the CFPB has supervisory authority over certain non-bank lenders, including automotive finance companies, such as our captive finance company. The CFPB can use this authority to conduct supervisory examinations or initiate enforcement actions and/or litigation to ensure compliance with various federal consumer protection laws. The CFPB, other federal agencies, state governmental authorities, and individuals could assert claims arising out of actual or alleged violations of law, which could expose us to significant damages or other penalties, including revocation or suspension of the licenses necessary to conduct business and fines, in addition to adverse publicity.

The Dodd-Frank Act also provided the FTC with new and expanded authority regarding automotive dealers, and the FTC has implemented an enforcement initiative relating to the advertising practices of automotive dealers. Regulation from the CFPB, other federal agencies, or state agencies could lead to significant changes in the manner that dealers are compensated for arranging customer financing, and while it is difficult to predict how any such changes might impact us, any adverse changes could have a material adverse impact on our finance and insurance business and results of operations.

Our business is dependent upon the efficient operation of our information systems. We rely on our information systems to manage, among other things, our sales, inventory, and service efforts, including through our digital channels, and customer information, as well as to prepare our consolidated financial and operating data. The failure of our information systems to perform as designed or the failure to maintain and enhance or protect the integrity of these systems could disrupt our business operations, impact sales and results of operations, expose us to customer or third-party claims, or result in adverse publicity. Additionally, we collect, process, and retain sensitive and confidential customer information in the normal course of our business. Despite the security measures we have in place and any additional measures we may implement in the future, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party service providers, could experience security breaches, computer viruses, lost or misplaced data, programming errors, human errors, acts of vandalism, or other events. For example, several well-known retailers have disclosed high-profile security breaches involving sophisticated and highly targeted attacks on their company’s infrastructure or their customers’ data, which were not recognized or detected until after such retailers had been affected notwithstanding the preventative measures such retailers had in place. Any security breach or event resulting in the misappropriation, loss, or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, whether by us directly or our third-party service providers, could damage our reputation, expose us to the risks of litigation and liability, disrupt our business, or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations.

The credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility and the indentures relating to our senior unsecured notes contain covenants that limit the discretion of our management with respect to various business matters. These covenants place restrictions on, among other things, our ability to incur additional indebtedness, to create liens or other encumbrances, to make investments, and to sell or otherwise dispose of assets and to merge or consolidate with other entities. A failure by us to comply with the obligations contained in any of our debt agreements could result in an event of default, which could permit acceleration of the related debt as well as acceleration of debt under other debt agreements that contain cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions. If any debt is accelerated, our liquid assets may not be sufficient to repay in full such indebtedness and our other indebtedness. Additionally, we have granted certain manufacturers the right to acquire, at fair market value, our automotive stores franchised by those manufacturers in specified circumstances in the event of our default under our debt agreements.

Under our credit agreement, we are required to remain in compliance with a maximum leverage ratio and a maximum capitalization ratio. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources — Restrictions and Covenants” in Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K. If our earnings decline, we may be unable to comply with the financial ratios required by our credit agreement. In such case, we would seek an amendment or waiver of a covenant of our credit agreement or consider other options, such as raising capital through an equity issuance to pay down debt, which could be dilutive to stockholders. There can be no assurance that our lenders would agree to an amendment or waiver of a covenant of our credit agreement. In the event we obtain an amendment or waiver of a covenant of our credit agreement, we would likely incur additional fees and higher interest expense.

As of December 31, 2022, we had $3.6 billion of total non-vehicle long-term debt, $2.1 billion of vehicle floorplan financing, and $181.8 million of non-recourse debt under our warehouse facilities. Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences. For example:

The occurrence of any one of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations.

Our vehicle floorplan payables, revolving credit facility, and warehouse facilities are subject to variable interest rates, and the interest rate for our commercial paper notes varies based on duration and market conditions. Accordingly, our interest expense will fluctuate with changing market conditions and will increase if interest rates rise. Instability or disruptions of the capital markets, including credit markets, or the deterioration of our financial condition due to internal or external factors, could restrict or prohibit our access to capital markets and increase our financing costs. In addition, our net new vehicle inventory carrying cost (new vehicle floorplan interest expense net of floorplan assistance that we receive from automotive manufacturers) may increase due to changes in interest rates, inventory levels, and manufacturer assistance. We cannot assure you that a significant increase in interest rates or decrease in manufacturer floorplan assistance would not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are subject to impairment assessments at least annually (or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that an impairment may have occurred) by applying a fair-value based test. Our principal intangible assets are goodwill and our rights under our franchise agreements with vehicle manufacturers. A decrease in our market capitalization or profitability increases the risk of goodwill impairment. Negative or declining cash flows or a decline in actual or planned revenues for our stores increases the risk of franchise rights impairment. An impairment loss could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and shareholders’ equity. During 2020, we recorded non-cash goodwill impairment charges of $318.3 million and non-cash franchise rights impairment charges of $57.5 million. See Note 20 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.

Our minority equity investments with readily determinable fair values are required to be measured at fair value each reporting period. Changes in the fair values of the underlying equity securities could result in unrealized gains or losses related to these investments. A material decrease in the fair values of these equity investments could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

We have elected to measure our minority equity investment that does not have a readily determinable fair value using a measurement alternative permitted by accounting standards, and we recorded the equity investment at cost to be subsequently adjusted for observable price changes or impairment, if any. There may be future issuances of identical or similar equity securities by the same issuer that would result in observable price changes that could result in upward or downward adjustments to this equity investment. A material downward adjustment to or impairment of this equity investment could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Based on filings made with the SEC through February 15, 2023, William H. Gates III beneficially owns approximately 21% of the outstanding shares of our common stock, through holdings by Cascade Investment, L.L.C. (“Cascade”), which is solely owned by Mr. Gates. As a result, Cascade may have the ability to exert substantial influence over actions to be taken or approved by our stockholders, including the election of directors and any transactions involving a change of control.

Based on filings made with the SEC through February 15, 2023, ESL Investments, Inc. together with certain of its investment affiliates (collectively, “ESL”) beneficially owns approximately 12% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. As a result, ESL may also have the ability to exert substantial influence over actions to be taken or approved by our stockholders, including the election of directors and any transactions involving a change of control.

In the future, our largest stockholders may acquire or dispose of shares of our common stock and thereby increase or decrease their ownership stake in us. Significant fluctuations in the levels of ownership of our largest stockholders could impact the volume of trading, liquidity, and market price of our common stock.

In the aggregate, based on filings made with the SEC through February 15, 2023, William H. Gates III and ESL beneficially own approximately 33% of our outstanding shares. Future share repurchases by the Company, together with any future share purchases by our affiliates, will reduce our “public float” (shares owned by non-affiliate stockholders and available for trading). Such reduction in our public float could decrease the volume of trading and liquidity of our common stock, could lead to increased volatility in the market price of our common stock, or could adversely impact the market price of our common stock.

We cannot assure you that we will not be exposed to uninsured or underinsured losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. In addition, natural disasters and adverse weather events, including the effects of climate change, may adversely impact new vehicle production and the global automotive supply chain, which in turn could materially adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial conditions, and cash flows.

We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock during our two most recent fiscal years. We do not currently anticipate paying cash dividends for the foreseeable future.

Except to the extent that differences among reportable segments are material to an understanding of our business taken as a whole, we present the discussion in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations on a consolidated basis.

We offer a diversified range of automotive products and services, including new vehicles, used vehicles, “parts and service” (also referred to as “After-Sales”), which includes automotive repair and maintenance services as well as wholesale parts and collision businesses, and automotive “finance and insurance” products (also referred to as “Customer Financial Services”), which include vehicle service and other protection products, as well as the arranging of financing for vehicle purchases through third-party finance sources. We also offer indirect financing on certain vehicles we sell, as well as on installment contracts acquired by our captive finance company through third-party independent dealers.

As of December 31, 2022, we had three reportable segments: Domestic, Import, and Premium Luxury. Our Domestic segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured by General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. Our Import segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Subaru, and Nissan. Our Premium Luxury segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus, and Jaguar Land Rover. The franchises in each segment also sell used vehicles, parts and automotive repair and maintenance services, and automotive finance and insurance products.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, new vehicle sales accounted for 44% of our total revenue and 26% of our total gross profit. Used vehicle sales accounted for 36% of our total revenue and 11% of our total gross profit. Our parts and service operations, while comprising 15% of our total revenue, contributed 36% of our total gross profit. Our finance and insurance sales, while comprising 5% of our total revenue, contributed 27% of our total gross profit.

Our total gross profit increased 6% during 2022, driven by increases in new vehicle gross profit of 14%, parts and service gross profit of 14%, and finance and insurance gross profit of 4%, each as compared to 2021. New vehicle gross profit benefited from an increase in gross profit per vehicle retailed (“PVR”) resulting from strong demand and historically low new vehicle inventory levels. Parts and service results benefited primarily from increases in gross profit from customer-pay service and the preparation of vehicles for sale. Finance and insurance gross profit benefited from higher realized margins on vehicle protection products and an increase in product penetration. The increases in gross profit were partially offset by a decrease in used vehicle gross profit of 20% due to margin pressure as a result of a decline in used vehicle values from historically high levels and a decrease in used vehicle unit volume.

SG&A expenses increased largely due to newly acquired and opened stores and expenditures associated with investments in technology and strategic initiatives. Other interest expense increased due to higher average debt balances. Floorplan interest expense increased due to higher average interest rates.

On October 1, 2022, we closed on the acquisition of CIG Financial, an auto finance company headquartered in Irvine, California, for $83 million and the repayment of certain obligations totaling $21 million. The acquisition of CIG Financial aligns with our strategic business model and will further extend our relationship with our customers beyond the buying experience and throughout the vehicle ownership life cycle.

On November 4, 2022, we acquired a minority ownership stake in TrueCar, Inc., a leading automotive digital marketplace that lets auto buyers and sellers connect to its nationwide network of certified dealers. Our investment in TrueCar signals our continued commitment to emerging technologies and our constant focus on providing peerless customer experiences.

On January 26, 2023, we closed on the acquisition of RepairSmith, a mobile solution for automotive repair and maintenance, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, for approximately $190 million. With a significant operational footprint in the southern and western United States, RepairSmith expands AutoNation’s ability to penetrate the extensive After-Sales service market and conveniently responds to our customers’ needs by broadening the reach of our existing After-Sales network.

We expect that these initiatives will expand and strengthen the AutoNation retail brand, improve the customer experience, provide new growth opportunities, and enable us to expand our footprint in our core and other markets. The roll-out of these strategic initiatives may be impacted by a number of variables, including customer adoption, market conditions, availability of used vehicle inventory, availability and cost of building supplies and materials, and our ability to identify, acquire, and build out suitable locations in a timely manner. See “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10–K.

We have typically not experienced significant losses on the sale of new vehicle inventory, in part due to incentives provided by manufacturers to promote sales of new vehicles and our inventory management practices. We monitor our new vehicle inventory values as compared to net realizable values, and had no new vehicle inventory write-downs at December 31, 2022 or 2021.

We recondition the majority of used vehicles acquired for retail sale in our parts and service departments and capitalize the related costs to the used vehicle inventory. We monitor our used vehicle inventory values as compared to net realizable values. Typically, used vehicles that are not sold on a retail basis are sold at wholesale auctions. Our used vehicle inventory balance was net of cumulative write-downs of $7.4 million at December 31, 2022, and $3.6 million at December 31, 2021.

Parts, accessories, and other inventory are carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value. We estimate the amount of potentially damaged and/or obsolete inventory based upon historical experience, manufacturer return policies, and industry trends. Our parts, accessories, and other inventory balance was net of cumulative write-downs of $7.4 million at December 31, 2022, and $5.8 million at December 31, 2021.

If we do not perform a qualitative assessment, or if we determine that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, we calculate the estimated fair value of the reporting unit using an “income” valuation approach, which discounts projected free cash flows of the reporting unit at a computed weighted average cost of capital as the discount rate. The income valuation approach requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions, which include revenue growth rates and future operating margins used to calculate projected future cash flows, weighted average cost of capital, and future economic and market conditions. In connection with this process, we also reconcile the estimated aggregate fair values of our reporting units to our market capitalization, including consideration of a control premium based upon our stock price and/or average stock price over a reasonable period as of the measurement date. We base our cash flow forecasts on our knowledge of the automotive industry, our recent performance, our expectations of our future performance, and other assumptions we believe to be reasonable but that are unpredictable and inherently uncertain.

Under accounting standards, we chose to make a qualitative evaluation about the likelihood of goodwill impairment for our annual impairment testing as of April 30, 2022 and 2021, and we determined that it was not more likely than not that the fair values of our reporting units were less than their carrying amounts. As of December 31, 2022, we have $236.3 million of goodwill related to the Domestic reporting unit, $518.7 million related to the Import reporting unit, $482.1 million related to the Premium Luxury reporting unit, $78.4 million related to the AutoNation Finance reporting unit, and $4.6 million related to the Collision Centers reporting unit.

We elected to perform quantitative tests for our annual franchise rights impairment testing as of April 30, 2022 and 2021, and no impairment charges resulted from these quantitative tests.

If the fair value of each of our franchise rights had been determined to be a hypothetical 10% lower as of the valuation dates of April 30, 2022 and 2021, no impairment would have resulted. The effect of a hypothetical 10% decrease in fair value estimates is not intended to provide a sensitivity analysis of every potential outcome.

Same store revenue PVR and gross profit PVR both increased during 2022, as compared to 2021, primarily due to strong demand and reduced availability of new vehicle inventory. Same store revenue PVR and gross profit PVR also benefited from a shift in mix away from Import vehicles, which have relatively lower average selling prices and gross profit PVR, due to a more limited supply of these vehicles.