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The nation's top 10 dealership groups were the same in 2000 as they were in 1999, but aggressive acquisitions shuffled eight of the rankings.
Sonic Automotive Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., made the biggest move. It jumped from the No. 5 position in 1999 to No. 2 last year.
The publicly held dealership company acquired 72 dealerships in 1999 and 11 in 2000. With a total of 112 dealerships, 168 franchises and 31 brands, Sonic sold 131,365 new vehicles and racked up $5.62 billion in revenue.
Sonic showed dramatic increases in sales and revenues in 2000 because sales and revenues of the dealerships acquired in 1999 reflected only a portion of that year's performance, said Sonic President Scott Smith
"We picked up First America Automotive in December 1999; we picked up $1.5 billion in revenues," Smith said. "We acquired close to $1 billion in additional revenues as well in 2000."
AutoNation Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the nation's largest dealership chain in 1999, remained at the top of Automotive News' list...