AutoNation
AutoNation is a publicly traded U.S. automotive retailer operating approximately 349 new vehicle franchises across 30+ brands, selling new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles while generating revenue through F&I products, captive finance, and high-margin parts and service operations.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersFort Lauderdale, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What AutoNation does
AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE: AN), founded in 1996 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States, operating approximately 349 new vehicle franchises across 30+ brands. The company serves retail consumers, fleet/commercial customers, and premium/luxury buyers through a company-owned dealership network spanning California (46 locations), Florida, Maryland, and other major markets, complemented by AutoNation.com, a digital commerce platform offering vehicle research, financing pre-qualification, trade-in valuation, and service scheduling. Its business model derives revenue from new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicle sales (one-time transactions), Finance & Insurance products (transaction fees), and a high-margin after-sales parts and service segment that generates 49% of segment gross profit from only 18.6% of revenue. AutoNation has built vertical integration through AutoNation Finance, a captive finance arm with a $2.4B portfolio and $749.2M asset-backed securitization capability at a 4.25% weighted-average fixed rate, plus AutoNation Mobile Service via the RepairSmith acquisition, AutoComplete insurance shopping, and Vehicle Protection Plans. The company pursues an aggressive M&A strategy, having added $1B+ in annualized revenue through 2025-2026 acquisitions including Jerry's Toyota ($123M), Toyota of Newnan, and three Fremont luxury franchises (Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche) generating ~$400M annually.
AutoNation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AutoNation
- Legal name
- AutoNation, Inc.
- Website
- https://autonation.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- AutoNation is a publicly traded U.S. automotive retailer operating approximately 349 new vehicle franchises across 30+ brands, selling new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles while generating revenue through F&I products, captive finance, and high-margin parts and service operations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AutoNation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Automotive Retail
- NAICS
- New Car Dealers (44111), Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441), Used Car Dealers (441120)
- SIC
- Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- New & Used Auto Purchase Loans (FSAKADAA)
Keywords
Where AutoNation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Lauderdale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
AutoNation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Vehicle Sales (New, Used, Certified Pre-Owned): Core revenue stream from selling new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles across 30+ brands through dealership network. Q1 2026 revenue of $6.6 billion with declining new vehicle unit sales but strong used vehicle and after-sales performance.
- Finance & Insurance (F&I): Dealer-arranged financing and insurance products. AutoNation ranked #2 in F&I revenue at $1.46 billion with higher average F&I revenue per dealership ($5.4 million) than competitors.
- After-Sales (Service & Parts): Parts and service operations generating record gross profit. Parts and service contribute 49% of segment gross profit despite only 18.6% of revenue. Includes maintenance, repairs, and collision center services.
- Customer Financial Services: AutoNation Finance captive finance business providing auto loans directly to consumers, growing portfolio and generating record unit profitability.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | New and Used Vehicle Sales |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
AutoNation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AutoNation operates one of the largest automotive dealership networks in the United States, owning approximately 349 new vehicle franchises across multiple states that sell new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles from 30+ brands. The company also provides integrated captive financing through AutoNation Finance (a $2.4B portfolio), insurance shopping via AutoComplete, vehicle protection plans, parts and service operations, mobile repair (RepairSmith), and collision center services.
Product overview
AutoNation operates as a diversified automotive retail platform offering new vehicle sales, used vehicle sales, service and parts, captive financing, and insurance products across approximately 349 franchises in the United States. The product portfolio centers on the core AutoNation Automotive Retail Platform for vehicle sales, complemented by AutoNation Finance (captive financing arm growing to $2.4 billion portfolio), Vehicle Protection Plans (extended warranties and protection products), AutoComplete Insurance (insurance comparison shopping), and AutoNation Mobile Service (mobile repair). Recent acquisitions include RepairSmith (mobile automotive repair service), Jerry's Toyota, Priority 1 Automotive dealerships, and CIG Financial (captive finance). The F&I operations generated $1.46 billion in 2025 revenue. The company also offers micro leases (6-12 months) in select markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DRV PNK: AutoNation's charitable initiative raising funds for cancer-related causes, having raised more than $50 million
- AutoNation Mobile Service
- AutoComplete
Products and services
- New Vehicle Sales Sale of brand-new vehicles from 30+ manufacturers including Acura, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Toyota, Ford, Honda, and luxury brands like Bentley and Aston Martin, offered through approximately 349 franchise locations nationwide.
- Used and Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Sales Sale of used and certified pre-owned vehicles across all price ranges, with over 27,000 vehicles in inventory and transparent pricing through AutoNation.com.
- AutoNation Finance (Captive Financing) In-house captive auto lending arm providing financing solutions directly to vehicle purchasers, with a growing portfolio and securitization capabilities.
- AutoNation Finance Pre-Qualification Online platform enabling customers to get pre-qualified for auto financing through a quick form with personalized offers and no credit score impact.
- AutoNation F&I (Finance & Insurance) Dealer-arranged financing and insurance products sold at point of sale, generating $1.46 billion in 2025 with $5.4M average F&I revenue per dealership (highest among top 5 dealer groups).
- AutoNation Vehicle Protection Plans Suite of extended warranty and protection products including Vehicle Protection Plan (mechanical breakdown), prepaid maintenance, Tire & Wheel Protection, Roadside Assistance, GAP Protection, and appearance/dent/windshield/theft protection.
- AutoComplete Insurance Third-party insurance shopping service that compares 20+ top insurers to help AutoNation customers find competitive car insurance rates, averaging $1,132/year in customer savings. AutoNation receives commission for referrals.
- AutoNation Mobile Service Mobile automotive repair and maintenance service bringing vehicle maintenance and repairs directly to customer locations, covering oil changes, battery and brake replacements, and other services.
- Parts and Service Operations Dealership-based maintenance, repair, parts, and collision center services that generate record gross profit and represent 49% of segment gross profit despite only 18.6% of revenue.
- AutoNation Micro Leases Short-term 6 or 12-month lease program available in California and South Florida, offering flexibility for customers to access new and used vehicles for short-term needs.
- AutoNation Parts Online parts retail platform offering parts and accessories shipped within the continental United States, operated through AutoNationParts.com.
Quantifiable outcome
- Record Q1 2026 After-Sales gross profit and record Customer Financial Services gross profit per unit
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use AutoNation
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AutoNation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
AutoNation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Habitat for Humanity of BrowardcoreAutoNation has maintained a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Broward for over 25 years, having sponsored six home builds and contributed over 450 volunteer hours in the past year alone. Most recently, AutoNation contributed $100,000 toward sponsoring a home for a registered nurse and single mother of five in Fort Lauderdale.
- Dolphins Cancer ChallengecoreAutoNation partners with the Dolphins Cancer Challenge (NFL Miami Dolphins signature health initiative) through its DRV PNK initiative. The partnership has raised nearly $100 million to support lifesaving cancer research, with AutoNation's DRV PNK contributing over $45 million to cancer-related causes.
- Orange Bowl CommitteeminorAutoNation partnered with the Orange Bowl Committee, Miami-Dade County, and the City of Miami Gardens to unveil a new $600,000 STEAM Center presented by AutoNation at Bunche Park West Recreation. This initiative is part of the Legacy Program for the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship.
- Jerry's Toyota (Baltimore)coreAutoNation acquired Jerry's Toyota in Baltimore for approximately $123 million, marking AutoNation's first Toyota franchise in Maryland and 20th nationwide. The Stautberg family-owned dealership represented a model multi-generational succession plan, with Dave Cantin noting over 50% of dealerships lack formal succession plans.
- AutoComplete (Insurance Partner)minorAutoNation partners with AutoComplete, a third-party insurance agency, to help customers save on car insurance. AutoComplete searches 20+ top insurers for competitive rates, with customers saving an average of $1,132/year. AutoNation receives commission for referrals.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
AutoNation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lithia Motors: Largest U.S. auto dealership group by revenue, operating franchised new-vehicle stores across multiple brands with a similar nationwide roll-up strategy. Direct competitor in F&I productivity, scale economics, and aggressive M&A.
- Group 1 Automotive: Fortune 500 franchised auto retailer with ~200 dealerships across the U.S. and U.K., closely comparable franchise mix and after-sales/service orientation. Benchmarked against AutoNation on per-store F&I revenue and gross profit per unit.
- Penske Automotive Group: Premium-heavy franchised dealer group with a similar mix of luxury and import brands and a meaningful commercial truck business. Comparable on premium/luxury exposure and integrated F&I/finance economics.
- Asbury Automotive Group: U.S. franchised dealership group with comparable brand mix and Sunbelt geographic concentration. Operates Clicklane digital retailing platform as a comparable omnichannel strategy to AutoNation.com.
- Sonic Automotive: Franchised dealer group with EchoPark used-car stores providing a comparable multi-brand retail plus used-vehicle standalone strategy. Direct competitor for new-vehicle franchise dollars and F&I share.
Broad incumbents
- CarMax: Largest U.S. used-vehicle retailer with a national store footprint and integrated financing—competes with AutoNation's used and certified pre-owned business, particularly via its omnichannel platform and captive finance arm.
Emerging players
- Carvana: Pure-play online used-vehicle retailer competing for digital-first used-car buyers that AutoNation targets through AutoNation.com. Different operating model but directly relevant as a benchmark for online used-vehicle economics.
- Vroom: Online used-vehicle retailer pursuing an asset-light model competing for the same digital used-car shoppers AutoNation targets via AutoNation.com and EchoPark-competitive channels.
Others
- Cox Automotive: Industry-services conglomerate (Manheim auctions, Kelley Blue Book, Autotrader) that sits adjacent to AutoNation's dealer operations as an upstream supplier of inventory, pricing data, and digital marketing—AutoNation participates in Cox-led consortiums (e.g., dealer financing initiatives).
- TrueCar: Online car-pricing marketplace that AutoNation joined as part of the 2026 $227M take-private consortium; provides digital lead-generation services directly used by AutoNation dealerships and is now a financial/strategic partner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AutoNation social profiles
Digital presenceAutoNation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AutoNation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
AutoNation subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
AutoNation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AutoNation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A41 records
Investments5 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AutoNation
What does AutoNation do?
AutoNation operates one of the largest automotive dealership networks in the United States, owning approximately 349 new vehicle franchises across multiple states that sell new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles from 30+ brands. The company also provides integrated captive financing through AutoNation Finance (a $2.4B portfolio), insurance shopping via AutoComplete, vehicle protection plans, parts and service operations, mobile repair (RepairSmith), and collision center services.
Is AutoNation a public or private company?
AutoNation is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was AutoNation founded?
AutoNation was founded in 1996. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is AutoNation based?
AutoNation is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, United States, in the North America region.
How does AutoNation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Vehicle Sales (New, Used, Certified Pre-Owned) is the primary driver. The others are finance & Insurance (F&I), after-Sales (Service & Parts) and customer Financial Services.
Who are AutoNation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lithia Motors, Group 1 Automotive, Penske Automotive Group, Asbury Automotive Group and Sonic Automotive. CarMax is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Carvana and Vroom. Others are Cox Automotive and TrueCar.
Does AutoNation have an API?
No public API is recorded for AutoNation.
What industry is AutoNation in?
AutoNation's product category is Automotive Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKADAA, New & Used Auto Purchase Loans. Its NAICS code is 44111 and its SIC code is 5500.