SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC - Annual Report: 2012 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012

OR

For the transition period from              to             

Commission file number 1-13395

SONIC AUTOMOTIVE, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(704) 566-2400

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ¨        No  x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ¨        No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x        No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x        No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.    x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by a check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.)    Yes  ¨        No  x

The aggregate market value of the voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $548.1 million based upon the closing sales price of the registrant’s Class A common stock on June 30, 2012 of $13.67 per share.

As of February 19, 2013 there were 40,982,054 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 12,029,375 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding.

Documents incorporated by reference. Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held April 17, 2013 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

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FORM 10-K TABLE OF CONTENTS

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This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains, and written or oral statements made from time to time by us or by our authorized officers may contain, numerous “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements address our future objectives, plans and goals, as well as our intent, beliefs and current expectations regarding future operating performance, results and events, and can generally be identified by words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “foresee” and other similar words or phrases. Specific events addressed by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

These forward-looking statements are based on our current estimates and assumptions and involve various risks and uncertainties. As a result, you are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results could differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from our projections include those risks described in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and elsewhere in this report, as well as:

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date or this report or when made, and we undertake no obligation to revise or update these statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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PART I

Item 1.    Business.

Sonic Automotive, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in 1997. We are one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States. As of December 31, 2012, we operated 111 dealerships in 14 states (representing 25 different brands of cars and light trucks) and 21 collision repair centers. For management and operational reporting purposes, we group certain dealerships together that share management and inventory (principally used vehicles) into “stores.” As of December 31, 2012, we operated 100 stores. Our dealerships provide comprehensive services including (1) sales of both new and used cars and light trucks; (2) sales of replacement parts, performance of vehicle maintenance, manufacturer warranty repairs, paint and collision repair services (collectively, “Fixed Operations”); and (3) arrangement of extended service contracts, financing, insurance and other aftermarket products (collectively, “F&I”) for our customers.

The following charts depict the multiple sources of continuing operations revenue and gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2012:

As of December 31, 2012, we operated dealerships in the following markets:

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In the future, we may purchase dealerships that we believe will enrich our portfolio and divest dealerships that we believe will not yield acceptable returns over the long-term. See Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources” for a discussion of our plans for the use of capital generated from operations. Our ability to complete acquisitions in the future will depend on many factors, including the availability of financing and the existence of any contractual provisions that may restrict our acquisition activity.

The automotive retailing industry remains highly fragmented, and we believe that further consolidation may occur over the long-term. We believe that attractive acquisition opportunities continue to exist for dealership groups with the capital and experience to identify, acquire and professionally manage dealerships.

Business Strategy

Maximize Asset Returns Through Process Execution.    We have developed standardized operating processes that are documented in operating playbooks for our dealerships. Through the continued implementation of our operating playbooks, we believe organic growth opportunities exist by offering a more favorable buying experience to our customers and create efficiencies in our business processes. We believe the development, refinement and implementation of these operating processes will enhance the customer experience, make us more competitive in the markets we serve and drive revenue growth across each of our revenue streams.

Invest in Dealership Properties.    Historically, we have operated our dealerships primarily on property financed through long-term operating leases. As these leases mature, or as we have an opportunity to purchase the underlying real estate prior to renewal, we have begun to purchase and own more of our dealership properties. We remain opportunistic in purchasing existing properties or relocating dealership operations to owned real estate where the returns are favorable. We believe owning our properties will, over the long-term, strengthen our balance sheet and reduce our overall cost of operating and financing our dealership facilities.

Improve Capital Structure.    As we generate cash through operations, we will opportunistically repurchase our Class A common stock in open-market or structured transactions.

Diverse Revenue Streams.    We have multiple revenue streams. In addition to new vehicle sales, our revenue sources include used vehicle sales, which we believe are less sensitive to economic cycles and seasonal influences that exist with new vehicle sales. Our Fixed Operations sales carry a higher gross margin than new and used vehicle sales and, in the past, have not been as economically sensitive as new vehicle sales. We also offer customers assistance in obtaining financing and a range of automobile related insurance products.

Portfolio Management.    Our long-term growth and acquisition strategy is focused on large metropolitan markets, predominantly in the Southeast, Southwest, Midwest and California. We seek to add like-branded dealerships to our portfolio that exist in regions in which we already operate. A majority of our dealerships are either luxury or mid-line import brands. For the year ended December 31, 2012, approximately 85.5% of our new vehicle revenue was generated by mid-line import and luxury dealerships, which usually have higher operating margins, more stable Fixed Operations departments, lower associate turnover and lower inventory levels.

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The following table depicts the breakdown of our new vehicle revenues by brand:

Expand our eCommerce Capabilities.    Automotive customers have become increasingly more comfortable using technology to research their vehicle buying alternatives and communicate with dealership personnel. The

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internet presents a marketing, advertising and automotive sales channel that we will continue to utilize nationally to drive demand creation and demand maximization for our dealerships. Our technology platforms have given us the ability to leverage technology to more efficiently integrate systems, customize our dealership websites and use our data to improve the effectiveness of our advertising and interaction with our customers. This also allows us to market all of our products and services to a national audience and, at the same time, support the local market penetration of our individual dealerships.

Achieve High Levels of Customer Satisfaction.    We focus on maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. Our personalized sales process is designed to satisfy customers by providing high-quality vehicles and service in a positive, “consumer friendly” buying environment. Several manufacturers offer specific financial incentives on a per vehicle basis if certain Customer Satisfaction Index (“CSI”) levels (which vary by manufacturer) are achieved by a dealership. In addition, all manufacturers consider CSI scores in approving acquisitions. In order to keep dealership and executive management focused on customer satisfaction, we include CSI results as a component of our incentive-based compensation programs.

Train, Develop and Retain Associates.    We believe our associates are the cornerstone of our business and crucial to our financial success. Our goal is to develop our associates and foster an environment where our associates can contribute and grow with the company. Associate satisfaction is very important to us, and we believe a high level of associate satisfaction reduces turnover and enhances our customers’ experience at our dealerships by pairing our customers with well-trained, seasoned associates. We believe that our comprehensive training of all employees provides us with a competitive advantage over other dealership groups.

Increase Sales of Higher Margin Products and Services.    We continue to pursue opportunities to increase our sales of higher-margin products and services by expanding the following:

Finance, Insurance and Other Aftermarket Products:    Each sale of a new or used vehicle gives us an opportunity to provide our customers with financing and insurance options and earn financing fees and insurance commissions. We also offer our customers the opportunity to purchase extended service contracts and other aftermarket products. We currently offer a wide range of non-recourse financing, leasing, other aftermarket products, service contracts and insurance products to our customers. We emphasize menu-selling techniques and other best practices to increase our sales of F&I products at our dealerships.

Parts, Service & Collision Repair:    Each of our dealerships offers a fully integrated service and parts department. Manufacturers permit warranty work to be performed only at franchised dealerships such as ours. As a result, our franchised dealerships are uniquely qualified and positioned to perform work covered by manufacturer warranties on increasingly complex vehicles. We believe we can continue to grow our profitable parts and service business over the long-term by increasing service capacity, investing in sophisticated equipment and well-trained technicians, using variable rate pricing structures, focusing on customer service and efficiently managing our parts inventory. In addition, we believe our emphasis on selling extended service contracts associated with new and used vehicle retail sales will drive further service and parts business in our dealerships as we increase the potential to retain current customers beyond the term of the standard manufacturer warranty period.

Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles:    Various manufacturers provide franchised dealers the opportunity to sell certified pre-owned (“CPO”) vehicles. This certification process extends the standard manufacturer warranty on the CPO vehicle, which we believe increases our potential to retain the pre-owned purchaser as a future parts and service customer. Since CPO warranty work can only be performed at franchised dealerships, we believe CPO warranty work will increase our Fixed Operations business.

“Value” Used Vehicle:    We believe the market for “value” vehicles (used vehicles with retail prices below $10,000) is broad and not as sensitive to market fluctuations as higher priced used vehicles. Our strategy in retailing these vehicles includes the use of technology and market data to determine optimal pricing and placement of these vehicles at our dealerships.

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Relationships with Manufacturers

Each of our dealerships operates under a separate franchise or dealer agreement that governs the relationship between the dealership and the manufacturer. Each franchise or dealer agreement specifies the location of the dealership for the sale of vehicles and for the performance of certain approved services in a specified market area. The designation of such areas generally does not guarantee exclusivity within a specified territory. In addition, most manufacturers allocate vehicles on a “turn and earn” basis that rewards high unit sales volume. A franchise or dealer agreement requires the dealer to meet specified standards regarding showrooms, facilities and equipment for servicing vehicles, inventories, minimum net working capital, personnel training and other aspects of the business. Each franchise or dealer agreement also gives the related manufacturer the right to approve the dealer operator and any material change in management or ownership of the dealership. Each manufacturer may terminate a franchise or dealer agreement under certain circumstances, such as a change in control of the dealership without manufacturer approval, the impairment of the reputation or financial condition of the dealership, the death, removal or withdrawal of the dealer operator, the conviction of the dealership or the dealership’s owner or dealer operator of certain crimes, the failure to adequately operate the dealership or maintain new vehicle financing arrangements, insolvency or bankruptcy of the dealership or a material breach of other provisions of the applicable franchise or dealer agreement.

Many automobile manufacturers have developed policies regarding public ownership of dealerships. Policies implemented by manufacturers include the following restrictions:

To the extent that new or amended manufacturer policies restrict the number of dealerships which may be owned by a dealership group or the transferability of our common stock, such policies could have a material adverse effect on us. We believe that we will be able to renew at expiration all of our existing franchise and dealer agreements.

Many states have placed limitations upon manufacturers’ and distributors’ ability to sell new motor vehicles directly to customers in their respective states in an effort to protect dealers from practices they believe constitute unfair competition. In general, these statutes make it unlawful for a manufacturer or distributor to compete with a new motor vehicle dealer in the same brand operating under an agreement or franchise from the manufacturer or distributor in the relevant market area. Certain states, such as Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, limit the amount of time that a manufacturer may temporarily operate a dealership.

In addition, all of the states in which our dealerships currently do business require manufacturers to show “good cause” for terminating or failing to renew a dealer’s franchise or dealer agreement. Further, each of the states provides some method for dealers to challenge manufacturer attempts to establish dealerships of the same brand in their relevant market area.

Competition

The retail automotive industry is highly competitive. Depending on the geographic market, we compete both with dealers offering the same brands and product lines as ours and dealers offering other manufacturers’ vehicles. We also compete for vehicle sales with auto brokers, leasing companies and services offered on the internet that provide customer referrals to other dealerships or who broker vehicle sales between customers and other dealerships. We compete with small, local dealerships and with large multi-franchise automotive dealership groups.

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We believe that the principal competitive factors in vehicle sales are the location of dealerships, the marketing campaigns conducted by manufacturers, the ability of dealerships to offer an attractive selection of the most popular vehicles, the quality of customer service, and pricing (including manufacturer rebates and other special offers). In particular, pricing has become more important as a result of price-savvy customers using sources available on the internet to determine current market retail prices. Other competitive factors include customer preference for makes of automobiles and manufacturer warranties.

In addition to competition for vehicle sales, we also compete with other auto dealers, service stores, auto parts retailers and independent mechanics in providing parts and service. We believe that the principal competitive factors in parts and service sales are price, the use of factory-approved replacement parts, factory-trained technicians, the familiarity with a manufacturer’s makes and models and the quality of customer service. A number of regional and national chains offer selected parts and services at prices that may be lower than our prices.

In arranging or providing financing for our customers’ vehicle purchases, we compete with a broad range of financial institutions. In addition, financial institutions are now offering F&I products through the internet, which may reduce our profits on these items. We believe the principal competitive factors in providing financing are convenience, interest rates and contract terms.

Our success depends, in part, on national and regional automobile-buying trends, local and regional economic factors and other regional competitive pressures. Conditions and competitive pressures affecting the markets in which we operate, such as price-cutting by dealers in these areas, or in any new markets we enter, could adversely affect us, even though the retail automobile industry as a whole might not be affected.

Governmental Regulations and Environmental Matters

Numerous federal and state regulations govern our business of marketing, selling, financing and servicing automobiles. We are also subject to laws and regulations relating to business corporations.

Under the laws of the states in which we currently operate as well as the laws of other states into which we may expand, we must obtain a license in order to establish, operate or relocate a dealership or operate an automotive repair service. These laws also regulate our conduct of business, including our sales, operating, advertising, financing and employment practices, including federal and state wage-hour, anti-discrimination and other employment practices laws.

Our financing activities with customers are subject to federal truth-in-lending, consumer privacy, consumer leasing and equal credit opportunity regulations as well as state and local motor vehicle finance laws, installment finance laws, usury laws and other installment sales laws. Some states regulate finance fees that may be paid as a result of vehicle sales.

Federal, state and local environmental regulations, including regulations governing air and water quality, the clean-up of contaminated property and the use, storage, handling, recycling and disposal of gasoline, oil and other materials, also apply to us and our dealership properties.

We believe that we comply in all material respects with the laws affecting our business. However, claims arising out of actual or alleged violations of laws may be asserted against us or our dealerships by individuals or governmental entities, and may expose us to significant damages or other penalties, including possible suspension or revocation of our licenses to conduct dealership operations and fines.

As with automobile dealerships generally, and service, parts and body shop operations in particular, our business involves the use, storage, handling and contracting for recycling or disposal of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes and other environmentally sensitive materials. Our business also involves the past and

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current operation and/or removal of above ground and underground storage tanks containing such substances or wastes. Accordingly, we are subject to regulation by federal, state and local authorities that establish health and environmental quality standards, provide for liability related to those standards and, in certain circumstances, provide penalties for violations of those standards. We are also subject to laws, ordinances and regulations governing remediation of contamination at facilities we own or operate or to which we send hazardous or toxic substances or wastes for treatment, recycling or disposal.

We do not have any known material environmental liabilities, and we believe that compliance with environmental laws and regulations will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. However, soil and groundwater contamination is known to exist at certain properties owned and used by us. Further, environmental laws and regulations are complex and subject to frequent change. In addition, in connection with our past or future acquisitions, it is possible that we will assume or become subject to new or unforeseen environmental costs or liabilities, some of which may be material. We cannot assure you that compliance with current or amended, or new or more stringent, laws or regulations, stricter interpretations of existing laws or the future discovery of environmental conditions will not require additional expenditures by us, or that such expenditures will not be material.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

Our executive officers as of the date of this Form 10-K, are as follows:

O. Bruton Smith, 86, is our Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and a director and has served as such since our formation in January 1997, and he currently is a director and executive officer of many of our subsidiaries. Mr. Smith has worked in the retail automobile industry since 1966. Mr. Smith is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, a director and controlling stockholder of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (“SMI”). SMI is a public company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”). Among other things, SMI owns and operates the following NASCAR racetracks: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. He is also an executive officer or a director of most of SMI’s operating subsidiaries.

B. Scott Smith, 45, is our Co-Founder, President, Chief Strategic Officer and a director. Prior to his appointment as President in March 2007, Mr. Smith served as our Vice Chairman and Chief Strategic Officer since October 2002. He held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer from April 1997 to October 2002. Mr. Smith has been a director of our company since our organization was formed in January 1997. Mr. Smith also serves as a director and executive officer of many of our subsidiaries. Mr. Smith, who is a son of O. Bruton Smith and brother of David B. Smith, has been an executive officer of Town & Country Ford since 1993, and was a minority owner of both Town & Country Ford and Fort Mill Ford before our acquisition of these dealerships in 1997. Mr. Smith became the General Manager of Town & Country Ford in November 1992 where he remained until his appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer in April 1997. Mr. Smith has over 22 years experience in the automobile dealership industry.

Jeff Dyke, 45, is our Executive Vice President of Operations and is responsible for direct oversight for all of Sonic’s retail automotive operations. From March 2007 to October 2008, Mr. Dyke served as our Division Chief

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Operating Officer — South East Division, where he oversaw retail automotive operations for the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and South Carolina. Mr. Dyke first joined Sonic in October 2005 as its Vice President of Retail Strategy, a position that he held until April 2006, when he was promoted to Division Vice President — Eastern Division, a position he held from April 2006 to March 2007. Prior to joining Sonic, Mr. Dyke worked in the automotive retail industry at AutoNation from 1996 to 2005, where he held several positions in divisional, regional and dealership management with that company.

David P. Cosper, 58, is our Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. In March 2007, Mr. Cosper was appointed to Vice Chairman after serving as Executive Vice President since March 2006. He joined Sonic Automotive on March 1, 2006 as an Executive Vice President and became our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer on March 16, 2006. Mr. Cosper served as Treasurer through the end of 2006 and relinquished the position in February 2007. Prior to joining Sonic, he was Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Credit Company, a position held since 2003. From 1979, when he joined Ford Motor Company, Mr. Cosper served in a variety of positions in Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Credit Company, including Vice President and Treasurer of Ford Motor Credit Company and Executive Director of Corporate Finance at Ford Motor Company. In such positions, he was responsible for worldwide profit analysis and treasury matters, risk management, business planning, and competitive and strategic analysis. Mr. Cosper has announced his intention of retiring effective March 31, 2013. Upon Mr. Cosper’s retirement, Mr. Heath B. Byrd, Sonic’s current Vice President and Chief Information Officer, will become Sonic’s Chief Financial Officer, and Mr. David B. Smith, Sonic’s current Executive Vice President, will become Sonic’s Vice Chairman.

David B. Smith, 38, is our Executive Vice President and a director and has served our organization since October 2000. Prior to being named a director and Executive Vice President of Sonic in October 2008, Mr. Smith, also a son of O. Bruton Smith and brother of B. Scott Smith, served as our Senior Vice President of Corporate Development since March 2007. Prior to that appointment, Mr. Smith served as our Vice President of Corporate Strategy from October 2005 to March 2007, and also served us prior to that time as Dealer Operator of our Arnold Palmer Cadillac dealership from January 2004 to October 2005, our Fort Mill Ford dealership from January 2003 to January 2004, and our Town and Country Ford dealership from October 2000 to December 2002.

Employees

As of January 31, 2013, we employed approximately 9,300 associates. We believe that our relationships with our associates are good. Approximately 200 of our associates, primarily service technicians in our Northern California markets, are represented by a labor union. Although a small percentage of our associates are represented by a labor union, we may be affected by labor strikes, work slowdowns and walkouts at automobile manufacturers’ manufacturing facilities.

Company Information

Our website is located at www.sonicautomotive.com. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as well as proxy statements and other information we file with, or furnish to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) are available free of charge on our website. We make these documents available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically transmit them to the SEC. Except as otherwise stated in these documents, the information contained on our website or available by hyperlink from our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or other documents we transmit to the SEC.

Item 1A:    Risk Factors

Our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, prospects and the prevailing market price and performance of our Class A common stock may be adversely affected by a number of factors,

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including, but not limited to, the matters discussed below. Our stockholders and prospective investors should consider these risks, uncertainties, and other factors prior to making an investment decision.

Risks Related to Our Sources of Financing and Liquidity

Our significant indebtedness could materially adversely affect our financial health, limit our ability to finance future acquisitions and capital expenditures and prevent us from fulfilling our financial obligations.

As of December 31, 2012, our total outstanding indebtedness was approximately $1.8 billion, which includes floor plan notes payable, long-term debt and short-term debt.

We have $175.0 million of maximum borrowing availability under a syndicated revolving credit facility (the “2011 Revolving Credit Facility”), up to $500.0 million in maximum borrowing availability for new vehicle inventory floor plan financing and up to $80.0 million in maximum borrowing availability for used vehicle inventory floor plan financing (the “2011 Floor Plan Facilities”). We refer to the 2011 Revolving Credit Facility and 2011 Floor Plan Facilities collectively as our “2011 Credit Facilities.” Based on balances as of December 31, 2012, we had approximately $134.0 million available for additional borrowings under the 2011 Revolving Credit Facility based on the borrowing base calculation, which is affected by numerous factors including eligible asset balances and the market value of certain additional collateral. We are able to borrow under our 2011 Revolving Credit Facility only if, at the time of the borrowing, we have met all representations and warranties and are in compliance with all financial and other covenants contained therein. We also have capacity to finance new and used vehicle inventory purchases under bilateral floor plan agreements with various manufacturer-affiliated finance companies and other lending institutions (the “Silo Floor Plan Facilities”) as well as our 2011 Floor Plan Facilities. In addition, the indentures relating to our 9.0% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2018 (the “9.0% Notes”), 7.0% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2022 (the “7.0% Notes”) and our other debt instruments allow us to incur additional indebtedness, including secured indebtedness, as long as we comply with the terms thereunder.

In addition, the majority of our dealership properties are leased under long-term operating lease arrangements that commonly have initial terms of fifteen to twenty years with renewal options ranging from five to ten years. These operating leases require compliance with financial and operating covenants similar to those under our 2011 Credit Facilities, and monthly payments of rent that may fluctuate based on interest rates and local consumer price indices. The total future minimum lease payments related to these operating leases and certain equipment leases are significant and are disclosed in Note 12, “Commitments and Contingencies,” to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.

Our failure to comply with certain covenants in these agreements or indentures could materially adversely affect our ability to access our borrowing capacity, subject us to acceleration of our outstanding debt, result in a cross default on other indebtedness, and could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue our business.

An acceleration of our obligation to repay all or a substantial portion of our outstanding indebtedness or lease obligations would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our 2011 Credit Facilities, the indentures governing our 9.0% Notes and 7.0% Notes and many of our operating leases contain numerous financial and operating covenants. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under the applicable agreement or indenture. If a default were to occur, we may be unable to adequately finance our operations and the value of our common stock would be materially adversely affected because of acceleration and cross default provisions. In addition, a default under one agreement or indenture could result in a default and acceleration of our repayment obligations under the other agreements or indentures, including the indentures governing our outstanding 9.0% Notes and 7.0% Notes. If a cross default were to occur,

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we may not be able to pay our debts or borrow sufficient funds to refinance them. Even if new financing were available, it may not be on terms acceptable to us. As a result of this risk, we could be forced to take actions that we otherwise would not take, or not take actions that we otherwise might take, in order to comply with the covenants in these agreements and indentures.

Our ability to make interest and principal payments when due to holders of our debt securities depends upon our future performance.

Our ability to meet our debt obligations and other expenses will depend on our future performance, which will be affected by financial, business, domestic and foreign economic conditions, the regulatory environment and other factors, many of which we are unable to control. If our cash flow is not sufficient to service our debt as it becomes due, we may be required to refinance the debt, sell assets or sell shares of our common stock on terms that we do not find attractive. Further, our failure to comply with the financial and other restrictive covenants relating to the 2011 Credit Facilities and the indentures pertaining to our outstanding notes could result in a default under these agreements that would prevent us from borrowing under the 2011 Revolving Credit Facility, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If a default and acceleration of repayment were to occur, we may be unable to adequately finance our operations and the value of our Class A common stock could be materially adversely affected.

We have financed the purchase of certain dealership properties with mortgage notes that require balloon payments at the end of the notes’ terms.

Many of our mortgage notes’ principal and interest payments are based on an amortization period longer than the actual terms (maturity dates) of the notes. We will be required to repay or refinance the remaining principal balances at the notes’ maturity dates (balloon payments). The maturity dates of these notes range from 2013 to 2022. The amounts to be repaid or refinanced at the maturity dates could be significant. We may not have sufficient liquidity to make such payments at the notes’ maturity dates. In the event we do have sufficient liquidity to completely repay the remaining principal balances at maturity, we may not be able to refinance the notes at interest rates that are acceptable to us, or depending on market conditions, refinance the notes at all. Our inability to repay or refinance these notes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to make interest and principal payments when due to holders of our debt securities depends upon the receipt of sufficient funds from our subsidiaries.

Substantially all of our consolidated assets are held by our subsidiaries and substantially all of our consolidated cash flow and net income are generated by our subsidiaries. Accordingly, our cash flow and ability to service debt depends to a substantial degree on the results of operations of our subsidiaries and upon the ability of our subsidiaries to provide us with cash. We may receive cash from our subsidiaries in the form of dividends, loans or distributions. We may use this cash to service our debt obligations or for working capital. Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and have no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to distribute cash to us or to make funds available to service debt. In addition, the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make loans to us is subject to minimum net capital requirements under manufacturer franchise and dealer agreements and laws of the state in which a subsidiary is organized and depends to a significant degree on the results of operations of our subsidiaries and other business considerations.

We depend on the performance of sublessees to offset costs related to certain of our lease agreements.

In most cases, when we sell a dealership, the buyer of the dealership will sublease the dealership property from us, but we are not released from the underlying lease obligation to the primary landlord. We rely on the sublease income from the buyer to offset the expense incurred related to our obligation to pay the primary landlord. We also rely on the buyer to maintain the property in accordance with the terms of the sublease (which

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in most cases mirror the terms of the lease we have with the primary landlord). Although we assess the financial condition of a buyer at the time we sell the dealership, and seek to obtain guarantees of the buyer’s sublease obligation from the stockholders or affiliates of the buyer, the financial condition of the buyer and/or the sublease guarantors may deteriorate over time. In the event the buyer does not perform under the terms of the sublease agreement (due to the buyer’s financial condition or other factors), we may not be able to recover amounts owed to us under the terms of the sublease agreement or the related guarantees. Our operating results, financial condition and cash flows may be materially adversely affected if sublessees do not perform their obligations under the terms of the sublease agreements.

Our use of hedging transactions could limit our financial gains or result in financial losses.

To reduce our exposure to fluctuations in cash flow due to interest rate fluctuations, we have entered into, and in the future expect to enter into, derivative instruments (or hedging agreements). No hedging activity can completely insulate us from the risks associated with changes in interest rates. As of December 31, 2012, we had interest rate swap agreements to effectively convert a portion of our LIBOR-based variable rate debt to a fixed rate. See the heading “Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” under Note 6, “Long-Term Debt,” to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements. We intend to hedge as much of the interest rate risk as management determines is in our best interests given the cost of such hedging transactions.

Our hedging transactions expose us to certain risks and financial losses, including, among other things:

A failure on our part to effectively hedge against interest rate changes may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to satisfy our debt obligations upon the occurrence of a change in control or a fundamental change.

Upon the occurrence of a change in control or a fundamental change, as defined in our 9.0% Notes and 7.0% Notes, holders of these instruments will have the right to require us to purchase all or any part of such holders’ notes at a price equal to 101% of principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. The events that constitute a change of control under these indentures may also constitute a default under our 2011 Credit Facilities. There can be no assurance that we would have sufficient resources available to satisfy all of our obligations under these debt instruments in the event of a change in control or fundamental change. In the event we were unable to satisfy these obligations, it could have a material adverse impact on our business and our common stock holders. Any future debt instruments that we may incur may contain similar provisions regarding repurchases in the event of a change in control or fundamental change triggering event.

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Although Mr. O. Bruton Smith, our chairman and chief executive officer, and his affiliates have previously assisted us with obtaining financing, we cannot assure you that he or they will be willing or able to do so in the future.

Our obligations under the 2011 Credit Facilities are secured with a pledge of 5,000,000 shares of SMI common stock. These shares of SMI common stock are owned by Sonic Financial Corporation (“SFC”), an entity controlled by Mr. O. Bruton Smith. Presently, the $175.0 million borrowing limit of our 2011 Revolving Credit Facility is subject to a borrowing base calculation that is based, in part, on the value of the SMI shares pledged by SFC. Consequently, a withdrawal of this pledge by SFC or a significant decrease in the value of SMI common stock could reduce the amount we can borrow under the 2011 Revolving Credit Facility. Subsequent to December 31, 2012, we finalized an amendment to our 2011 Credit Facilities that, among other things, removed the pledge of 5,000,000 shares of SMI common stock as security under the 2011 Revolving Credit Facility, which could reduce our borrowing availability and therefore could reduce our liquidity.

Risks Related to Our Relationships with Vehicle Manufacturers

Our operations may be adversely affected if one or more of our manufacturer franchise or dealer agreements is terminated or not renewed.

Each of our dealerships operates under a separate franchise or dealer agreement with the applicable automobile manufacturer. Without a franchise or dealer agreement, we cannot obtain new vehicles from a manufacturer or advertise as an authorized factory service center. As a result, we are significantly dependent on our relationships with the manufacturers.

Moreover, manufacturers exercise a great degree of control over the operations of our dealerships through the franchise and dealer agreements. The franchise and dealer agreements govern, among other things, our ability to purchase vehicles from the manufacturer and to sell vehicles to customers. Each of our franchise or dealer agreements provides for termination or non-renewal for a variety of causes, including certain changes in the financial condition of the dealerships and any unapproved change of ownership or management. Manufacturers may also have a right of first refusal if we seek to sell dealerships.

We cannot guarantee that any of our existing franchise and dealer agreements will be renewed or that the terms and conditions of such renewals will be favorable to us. Actions taken by manufacturers to exploit their superior bargaining position in negotiating the terms of franchise and dealer agreements or renewals of these agreements or otherwise could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our failure to meet a manufacturer’s customer satisfaction, financial and sales performance and facility requirements may adversely affect our profitability and our ability to acquire new dealerships.

Many manufacturers attempt to measure customers’ satisfaction with their sales and warranty service experiences through manufacturer-determined CSI scores. The components of CSI vary by manufacturer and are modified periodically. Franchise and dealer agreements may also impose financial and sales performance standards. Under our agreements with certain manufacturers, a dealership’s CSI scores, sales and financial performance may be considered a factor in evaluating applications for additional dealership acquisitions. From time to time, some of our dealerships have had difficulty meeting various manufacturers’ CSI requirements or performance standards. We cannot assure you that our dealerships will be able to comply with these requirements in the future. A manufacturer may refuse to consent to an acquisition of one of its franchises if it determines our dealerships do not comply with its CSI requirements or performance standards, which could impair the execution of our acquisition strategy. In addition, we receive incentive payments from the manufacturers based, in part, on CSI scores, which could be materially adversely affected if our CSI scores decline.

In addition, a manufacturer may condition its allotment of vehicles, participation in bonus programs, or acquisition of additional franchises upon our compliance with its facility standards. This may put us in a

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competitive disadvantage with other competing dealerships and may ultimately result in our decision to sell a franchise when we believe it may be difficult to recover the cost of the required investment to reach the manufacturer’s facility standards.

If state dealer laws are repealed or weakened, our dealerships will be more susceptible to termination, non-renewal or renegotiation of their franchise and dealer agreements.

State dealer laws generally provide that a manufacturer may not terminate or refuse to renew a franchise or dealer agreement unless it has first provided the dealer with written notice setting forth good cause and stating the grounds for termination or non-renewal. Some state dealer laws allow dealers to file protests or petitions or attempt to comply with the manufacturer’s criteria within the notice period to avoid the termination or non-renewal. Though unsuccessful to date, manufacturers’ lobbying efforts may lead to the repeal or revision of state dealer laws. If dealer laws are repealed in the states in which we operate, manufacturers may be able to terminate our franchises without providing advance notice, an opportunity to cure or a showing of good cause. Without the protection of state dealer laws, it may also be more difficult for our dealerships to renew their franchise or dealer agreements upon expiration.

In addition, these laws restrict the ability of automobile manufacturers to directly enter the retail market in the future. However, the ability of a manufacturer to grant additional franchises is based on several factors which are not within our control. If manufacturers grant new franchises in areas near or within our existing markets, this could significantly impact our revenues and/or profitability. Further, if manufacturers obtain the ability to directly retail vehicles and do so in our markets, such competition could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our sales volume and profit margin on each sale may be materially adversely affected if manufacturers discontinue or change their incentive programs.

Our dealerships depend on the manufacturers for certain sales incentives, warranties and other programs that are intended to promote and support dealership new vehicle sales. Manufacturers routinely modify their incentive programs in response to changing market conditions. Some of the key incentive programs include:

Manufacturers frequently offer incentives to potential customers. A reduction or discontinuation of a manufacturer’s incentive programs may materially adversely impact vehicle demand and affect our profitability.

Our sales volume may be materially adversely affected if manufacturer captives change their customer financing programs or are unable to provide floor plan financing.

One of the primary finance sources used by consumers in connection with the purchase of a new or used vehicle is the manufacturer captive finance companies. These captive finance companies rely, to a certain extent, on the public debt markets to provide the capital necessary to support their financing programs. In addition, the captive finance companies will occasionally change their loan underwriting criteria to alter the risk profile of their loan portfolio. A limitation or reduction of available consumer financing for these or other reasons could affect consumers’ ability to purchase a vehicle, and thus, could have a material adverse effect on our sales volume.

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Our parts and service sales volume and profitability are dependent on manufacturer warranty programs.

Franchised automotive retailers perform factory authorized service work and sell original replacement parts on vehicles covered by warranties issued by the automotive manufacturer. Dealerships which perform work covered by a manufacturer warranty are reimbursed at rates established by the manufacturer. For the year ended December 31, 2012, approximately 14.5% of our parts, service and collision repair revenue was for work covered by manufacturer warranties. To the extent a manufacturer reduces the labor rates or markup of replacement parts for such warranty work, our Fixed Operations sales volume and profitability could be adversely affected.

Adverse conditions affecting one or more key manufacturers or lenders may negatively impact our profitability.

Our business is dependent upon the products, services, and financing and incentive programs offered by major automobile manufacturers, and could be negatively impacted by any significant changes to these manufacturers’:

Events such as labor strikes or other disruptions in production, including those caused by natural disasters, that may adversely affect a manufacturer may also adversely affect us. In particular, labor strikes at a manufacturer that continue for a substantial period of time could have a material adverse effect on our business. Similarly, the delivery of vehicles from manufacturers at a time later than scheduled, which may occur during critical periods of new product introductions, could limit sales of those vehicles during those periods. This has been experienced at some of our dealerships from time to time. Adverse conditions affecting these and other important aspects of manufacturers’ operations and public relations may adversely affect our ability to sell their automobiles and, as a result, significantly and detrimentally affect our business and profitability.

Moreover, our business could be materially adversely impacted by the bankruptcy of a major vehicle manufacturer or related lender. For example:

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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 dealerships, which could adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and our ability to remain in compliance with the financial ratios contained in our debt agreements.

Manufacturer stock ownership restrictions may impair our ability to maintain or renew franchise or dealer agreements or issue additional equity.

Some of our franchise and dealer agreements prohibit transfers of any ownership interests of a dealership and, in some cases, its parent, without prior approval of the applicable manufacturer. Our existing franchise and dealer agreements could be terminated if a person or entity acquires a substantial ownership interest in us or acquires voting power above certain levels without the applicable manufacturer’s approval. While the holders of our Class B common stock currently maintain voting control of Sonic, their future investment decisions as well as those of holders of our Class A common stock are generally outside of our control and could result in the termination or non-renewal of existing franchise or dealer agreements or impair our ability to negotiate new franchise or dealer agreements for dealerships we acquire in the future. In addition, if we cannot obtain any requisite approvals on a timely basis, we may not be able to issue additional equity or otherwise raise capital on terms acceptable to us. These restrictions may also prevent or deter a prospective acquirer from acquiring control of us.

We depend on manufacturers to supply us with sufficient numbers of popular and profitable new models.

Manufacturers typically allocate their vehicles among dealerships based on the sales history of each dealership. Supplies of popular new vehicles may be limited by the applicable manufacturer’s production capabilities. Popular new vehicles that are in limited supply typically produce the highest profit margins. We depend on manufacturers to provide us with a desirable mix of popular new vehicles. Our operating results may be materially adversely affected if we do not obtain a sufficient supply of these vehicles on a timely basis.

A decline in the quality of vehicles we sell, or consumers’ perception of the quality of those vehicles, may adversely affect our business.

Our business is highly dependent on consumer demand and preferences. Events such as manufacturer recalls, negative publicity or legal proceedings related to these events may have a negative impact on the products we sell. If such events are significant, the profitability of our dealerships related to those manufacturers’ could be adversely affected and we could experience a material adverse effect on our overall results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Growth Strategy

Our ability to make acquisitions is restricted pursuant to the terms of the 2011 Credit Facilities.

Pursuant to the 2011 Credit Facilities, we are restricted from making dealership acquisitions in any fiscal year if the aggregate cost of all such acquisitions occurring in any fiscal year is in excess of $50.0 million, or if the aggregate cost of such acquisitions is in excess of $175.0 million during the term of the agreement, without the written consent of the Required Lenders (as that term is defined in the 2011 Credit Facilities). With this restriction on our ability to make acquisitions, our growth strategy may be limited. In addition, we may have to forfeit the opportunity to acquire profitable dealerships at attractive valuations.

We may not be able to capitalize on future real estate and dealership acquisition opportunities because our ability to obtain capital to fund these acquisitions is limited.

We intend to finance future real estate and dealership acquisitions with cash generated from operations, through issuances of our stock or debt securities and through borrowings under credit arrangements. We may not

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be able to obtain additional financing by issuing stock or debt securities due to the market price of our Class A common stock, overall market conditions or covenants under our 2011 Credit Facilities that restrict our ability to issue additional indebtedness, or the need for manufacturer consent to the issuance of equity securities. Using cash to complete acquisitions could substantially limit our operating or financial flexibility.

In addition, we are dependent to a significant extent on our ability to finance our new and certain of our used vehicle inventory with “floor plan financing.” Floor plan financing arrangements allow us to borrow money to buy a particular new vehicle from the manufacturer or a used vehicle on trade-in or at auction and pay off the loan when we sell that particular vehicle. We must obtain floor plan financing or obtain consents to assume existing floor plan financing in connection with our acquisition of dealerships. In the event that we are unable to obtain such financing, our ability to complete dealership acquisitions could be limited.

Substantially all the assets of our dealerships are pledged to secure the indebtedness under our Silo Floor Plan Facilities and the 2011 Credit Facilities. These pledges may impede our ability to borrow from other sources. Moreover, because the identified manufacturer-affiliated finance subsidiaries are either owned by or affiliated with BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen, respectively, any deterioration of our relationship with the particular manufacturer-affiliated finance subsidiary could adversely affect our relationship with the affiliated manufacturer, and vice-versa.

Manufacturers’ restrictions on acquisitions could limit our future growth.

We are required to obtain the approval of the applicable manufacturer before we can acquire an additional franchise of that manufacturer. In determining whether to approve an acquisition, manufacturers may consider many factors such as our financial condition and CSI scores.

Certain manufacturers also limit the number of its dealerships that we may own, our national market share of that manufacturer’s products or the number of dealerships we may own in a particular geographic area. In addition, under an applicable franchise or dealer agreement or under state law, a manufacturer may have a right of first refusal to acquire a dealership that we seek to acquire.

A manufacturer may condition approval of an acquisition on the implementation of material changes in our operations or extraordinary corporate transactions, facilities improvements or other capital expenditures. If we are unable or unwilling to comply with these conditions, we may be required to sell the assets of that manufacturer’s dealerships or terminate our franchise or dealer agreement. We cannot assure you that manufacturers will approve future acquisitions or do so on a timely basis, which could impair the execution of our acquisition strategy.

Failure to effectively integrate acquired dealerships with our existing operations could adversely affect our future operating results.

Our future operating results depend on our ability to integrate the operations of acquired dealerships with our existing operations. In particular, we need to integrate our management information systems, procedures and organizational structures, which can be difficult. Our growth strategy has focused on the pursuit of strategic acquisitions that either expand or complement our business.

We cannot assure you that we will effectively and profitably integrate the operations of these dealerships without substantial costs, delays or operational or financial problems, due to:

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These factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may not adequately anticipate all of the demands that growth through acquisitions will impose.

We face risks commonly encountered with growth through acquisitions or expansion. These risks include, but are not limited to:

We may not adequately anticipate all of the demands that growth will impose on our business.

We may not be able to execute our growth strategy without the costs escalating.

We have grown our business primarily through acquisitions in the past. We may not be able to consummate any future acquisitions at acceptable prices and terms or identify suitable candidates. In addition, increased competition for acquisition candidates could result in fewer acquisition opportunities for us and higher acquisition prices. The magnitude, timing, pricing and nature of future acquisitions or growth opportunities will depend upon various factors, including:

We may not be able to determine the actual financial condition of dealerships we acquire until after we complete the acquisition and take control of the dealerships.

The operating and financial condition of acquired businesses cannot be determined accurately until we assume control. Although we conduct what we believe to be a prudent level of investigation regarding the

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operating and financial condition of the businesses we purchase, in light of the circumstances of each transaction, an unavoidable level of risk remains regarding the actual operating condition of these businesses. Similarly, many of the dealerships we acquire, including some of our largest acquisitions, do not have financial statements audited or prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. We may not have an accurate understanding of the historical financial condition and performance of our acquired entities. Until we actually assume control of business assets and their operations, we may not be able to ascertain the actual value or understand the potential liabilities of the acquired entities and their operations.

Risks Related to the Automotive Retail Industry

Increasing competition among automotive retailers and the use of the internet reduces our profit margins on vehicle sales and related businesses.

Automobile retailing is a highly competitive business. Our competitors include publicly and privately owned dealerships, some of which are larger and have greater financial and marketing resources than we do. Many of our competitors sell the same or similar makes of new and used vehicles that we offer in our markets at competitive prices. We do not have any cost advantage in purchasing new vehicles from manufacturers due to economies of scale or otherwise. We typically rely on advertising, merchandising, sales expertise, service reputation and dealership location to sell new vehicles. Our revenues and profitability could be materially adversely affected if manufacturers decide to enter the retail market directly.

Our F&I business and other related businesses, which have higher margins than sales of new and used vehicles, are subject to strong competition from various financial institutions and other third parties.

Moreover, customers are using the internet to compare pricing for vehicles and related F&I services, which may further reduce margins for new and used vehicles and profits for related F&I services. If internet new vehicle sales are allowed to be conducted without the involvement of franchised dealers, our business could be materially adversely affected. In addition, other dealership groups have aligned themselves with services offered on the internet or are investing heavily in the development of their own internet capabilities, which could materially adversely affect our business.

Our franchise and dealer agreements do not grant us the exclusive right to sell a manufacturer’s product within a given geographic area. Our revenues or profitability could be materially adversely affected if any of our manufacturers award franchises to others in the same markets where we operate or if existing franchised dealers increase their market share in our markets.

We may face increasingly significant competition as we strive to gain market share through acquisitions or otherwise. Our operating margins may decline over time as we expand into markets where we do not have a leading position.

Our dealers depend upon new vehicle sales and, therefore, their success depends in large part upon customer demand for the particular vehicles they carry.

The success of our dealerships depends in large part on the overall success of the vehicle lines they carry. New vehicle sales generate the majority of our total revenue and lead to sales of higher-margin products and services such as finance, insurance, vehicle protection products and other aftermarket products, and parts and service operations. Our new vehicle sales operations are comprised primarily of luxury and mid-line import brands, which exposes us to manufacturer concentration risks. Although our parts and service operations and used vehicle sales may serve to offset some of this risk, changes in automobile manufacturers’ vehicle models and customer demand for particular vehicles may have a material adverse effect on our business.

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Our business will be harmed if overall consumer demand suffers from a severe or sustained downturn.

Our business is heavily dependent on consumer demand and preferences. Retail vehicle sales are cyclical and historically have experienced periodic downturns characterized by oversupply and weak demand. These cycles are often dependent on economic conditions, consumer confidence, the level of discretionary personal income and credit availability. Deterioration in any of these conditions may have a material adverse effect on our retail business, particularly sales of new and used automobiles.

In addition, severe or sustained increases in gasoline prices may lead to a reduction in automobile purchases or a shift in buying patterns from luxury and sport utility vehicle models (which typically provide higher margins to retailers) to smaller, more economical vehicles (which typically have lower margins).

A decline of available financing in the lending market may adversely affect our vehicle sales volume.

A significant portion of vehicle buyers, particularly in the used car market, finance their purchases of automobiles. Sub-prime lenders have historically provided financing for consumers who, for a variety of reasons including poor credit histories and lack of down payment, do not have access to more traditional finance sources. In the event lenders tighten their credit standards or there is a decline in the availability of credit in the lending market, the ability of these consumers to purchase vehicles could be limited which could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues and profitability.

Our business may be adversely affected by import product restrictions and foreign trade risks that may impair our ability to sell foreign vehicles profitably.

A significant portion of our new vehicle business involves the sale of vehicles, parts or vehicles composed of parts that are manufactured outside the United States. As a result, our operations are subject to customary risks of importing merchandise, including fluctuations in the relative values of currencies, import duties, exchange controls, trade restrictions, work stoppages and general political and socio-economic conditions in other countries. The United States or the countries from which our products are imported may, from time to time, impose new quotas, duties, tariffs or other restrictions, or adjust presently prevailing quotas, duties or tariffs, which may affect our operations and our ability to purchase imported vehicles and/or parts at reasonable prices.

Natural disasters and adverse weather events can disrupt our business.

Our dealerships are concentrated in states and regions in the United States, including Florida, Texas and California, in which actual or threatened natural disasters and severe weather events (such as hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods, landslides, and hail storms) may disrupt our store operations, which may adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition to business interruption, the automotive retailing business is subject to substantial risk of property loss due to the significant concentration of property values at store locations. Although we have substantial insurance, subject to certain deductibles, limitations, and exclusions, we may 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, the automotive manufacturing supply chain spans the globe. As such, supply chain disruptions resulting from natural disasters and adverse weather events may affect the flow of inventory or parts to us or our manufacturing partners. Such disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.

We have invested in internal and external business applications to execute our strategy of employing technology. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual

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property, our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees. Although we have attempted to mitigate the cyber-security risk of both our internal and outsourced functions by implementing various cyber-security controls and evaluating the cyber-security controls of our third-party technology and systems partners, we remain subject to cyber-security risks.

These cyber-security risks include, but are not limited to:

Moreover, significant technology-related business functions of ours are outsourced, including:

Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, damage our reputation, and cause a loss of confidence in our services, which could materially adversely affect our competitive position, results of operations and financial condition.

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General Risks Related to Investing in Our Securities

Concentration of voting power and anti-takeover provisions of our charter, bylaws, Delaware law and our franchise and dealer agreements may reduce the likelihood of any potential change of control.

Our common stock is divided into two classes with different voting rights. This dual class stock ownership allows the present holders of the Class B common stock to control us. Holders of Class A common stock have one vote per share on all matters. Holders of Class B common stock have 10 votes per share on all matters, except that they have only one vote per share on any transaction proposed or approved by the Board of Directors or a Class B common stockholder or otherwise benefiting the Class B common stockholders constituting a:

The holders of Class B common stock (which include O. Bruton Smith, Sonic’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director, his family members and entities they control) currently hold less than a majority of our outstanding common stock, but a majority of our voting power. This may prevent or discourage a change of control of us even if the action was favored by holders of Class A common stock.

Our charter and bylaws make it more difficult for our stockholders to take corporate actions at stockholders’ meetings. In addition, stock options, restricted stock and restricted stock units granted under our 2004 Stock Incentive Plan and 2012 Stock Incentive Plan become immediately exercisable or automatically vest upon a change in control. Delaware law also makes it difficult for stockholders who have recently acquired a large interest in a company to consummate a business combination transaction with the company against its directors’ wishes. Finally, restrictions imposed by our franchise and dealer agreements may impede or prevent any potential takeover bid. Our franchise and dealer agreements allow the manufacturers the right to terminate the agreements upon a change of control of our company and impose restrictions upon the transferability of any significant percentage of our stock to any one person or entity that may be unqualified, as defined by the manufacturer, to own one of its dealerships. The inability of a person or entity to qualify with one or more of our manufacturers may prevent or seriously impede a potential takeover bid. In addition, there may be provisions of our lending arrangements that create an event of default upon a change in control. These agreements, corporate governance documents and laws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or preventing stockholders from realizing a premium on the sale of their shares if we were acquired.

The outcome of legal and administrative proceedings we are or may become involved in could have a material adverse effect on our future business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We are involved, and expect to continue to be involved, in numerous legal and administrative proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including regulatory investigations and private civil actions brought by plaintiffs purporting to represent a potential class or for which a class has been certified.

Although we vigorously defend ourselves in all legal and administrative proceedings, the outcomes of pending and future proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including litigation with customers, employment related lawsuits, contractual disputes, class actions, purported class actions and actions brought by governmental authorities, cannot be predicted with certainty. An unfavorable resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects.

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Our business may be adversely affected by claims alleging violations of laws and regulations in our advertising, sales and finance and insurance activities.

Our business is highly regulated. In the past several years, private plaintiffs and state attorney generals have increased their scrutiny of advertising, sales, and finance and insurance activities in the sale and leasing of motor vehicles. The conduct of our business is subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding unfair, deceptive and/or fraudulent trade practices (including advertising, marketing, sales, insurance, repair and promotion practices), truth-in-lending, consumer leasing, fair credit practices, equal credit opportunity, privacy, insurance, motor vehicle finance, installment finance, closed-end credit, usury and other installment sales. Claims arising out of actual or alleged violations of law may be asserted against us or any of our dealers by individuals, either individually or through class actions, or by governmental entities in civil or criminal investigations and proceedings. Such actions may expose us to substantial monetary damages and legal defense costs, injunctive relief and criminal and civil fines and penalties, including suspension or revocation of our licenses and franchise or dealer agreements to conduct dealership operations.

Our business may be adversely affected by unfavorable conditions in our local markets, even if those conditions are not prominent nationally.

Our performance is subject to local economic, competitive, weather and other conditions prevailing in geographic areas where we operate. We may not be able to expand geographically and any geographic expansion may not adequately insulate us from the adverse effects of local or regional economic conditions. In addition, due to the provisions and terms contained in our operating lease agreements, we may not be able to relocate a dealership operation to a more favorable location without incurring significant costs or penalties.

The loss of key personnel and limited management and personnel resources could adversely affect our operations and growth.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our management team, particularly our senior management, and service and sales personnel. Additionally, franchise or dealer agreements may require the prior approval of the applicable manufacturer before any change is made in dealership general managers. We do not have employment agreements with certain members of our senior management team, our dealership managers and other key dealership personnel. Consequently, the loss of the services of one or more of these key employees could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

In addition, as we expand, we may need to hire additional managers. The market for qualified employees in the industry and in the regions in which we operate, particularly for general managers and sales and service personnel, is highly competitive and may subject us to increased labor costs during periods of low unemployment. The loss of the services of key employees or the inability to attract additional qualified managers could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, the lack of qualified management or employees employed by potential acquisition candidates may limit our ability to consummate future acquisitions.

Governmental regulation and environmental regulation compliance costs may adversely affect our profitability.

We are subject to a wide range of federal, state and local laws and regulations, such as local licensing requirements, retail financing and consumer protection laws and regulations, and wage-hour, anti-discrimination and other employment practices laws and regulations. Our facilities and operations are also subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and human health and safety, including those governing wastewater discharges, air emissions, the operation and removal of underground and aboveground storage tanks, the use, storage, treatment, transportation, release, recycling and disposal of solid and hazardous materials and wastes and the cleanup of contaminated property or water. The violation of these laws and regulations can result in administrative, civil or criminal penalties against us or in a cease and desist order against our operations that are not in compliance. Our future acquisitions may also be subject to regulation,

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including antitrust reviews. We believe that we comply in all material respects with all laws and regulations applicable to our business, but future regulations may be more stringent and require us to incur significant additional compliance costs.

Our past and present business operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations. We may be required by these laws to pay the full amount of the costs of investigation and/or remediation of contaminated properties, even if we are not at fault for disposal of the materials or if such disposal was legal at the time. Like many of our competitors, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in complying with these laws and regulations. In addition, soil and groundwater contamination exists at certain of our properties. We cannot assure you that our other properties have not been or will not become similarly contaminated. In addition, we could become subject to potentially material new or unforeseen environmental costs or liabilities because of our acquisitions.

Climate change legislation or regulations restricting emission of “greenhouse gases” could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the vehicles we sell.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has adopted rules under existing provisions of the federal Clean Air Act that require a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases from motor vehicles, require certain construction and operating permit reviews for greenhouse gas emissions from certain large stationary sources, and require monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from specified sources on an annual basis. The adoption of any laws or regulations requiring significant increases in fuel economy requirements or new federal or state restrictions on emissions of greenhouse gases from our operations or on vehicles and automotive fuels in the United States could adversely affect demand for those vehicles and require us to incur costs to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases associated with our operations.

Potential conflicts of interest between us and our officers or directors could adversely affect our future performance.

Mr. O. Bruton Smith serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of SMI. Accordingly, we compete with SMI for the management time of Mr. Smith.

We have in the past and will likely in the future enter into transactions with Mr. Smith, entities controlled by Mr. Smith or our other affiliates. We believe that all of our existing arrangements with affiliates are as favorable to us as if the arrangements were negotiated between unaffiliated parties, although the majority of these transactions have neither been verified by third parties in that regard nor are likely to be so verified in the future. Potential conflicts of interest could arise in the future between us and our officers or directors in the enforcement, amendment or termination of arrangements existing between them.

We may be subject to substantial withdrawal liability assessments in the future related to a multi-employer pension plan to which certain of our dealerships make contributions pursuant to collective bargaining agreements.

Six of our dealership subsidiaries in Northern California currently make fixed-dollar contributions to the Automotive Industries Pension Plan (the “AI Pension Plan”) pursuant to collective bargaining agreements between our subsidiaries and the International Association of Machinists (the “IAM”) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (the “IBT”). The AI Pension Plan is a “multi-employer pension plan” as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and our six dealership subsidiaries are among approximately 200 employers that make contributions to the AI Pension Plan pursuant to collective bargaining agreements with the IAM and IBT. In June 2006, we received information that the AI Pension Plan was substantially underfunded as of December 31, 2005. In July 2007, we received updated information that the AI Pension Plan continued to be substantially underfunded as of December 31, 2006, with the amount of such underfunding increasing versus year end 2005. In March 2008, the Board of Trustees of the AI Pension Plan

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notified participants, participating employers and local unions that the AI Pension Plan’s actuary, in accordance with the requirements of the federal Pension Protection Act of 2006, had issued a certification that the AI Pension Plan is in Critical Status effective with the plan year commencing January 1, 2008. As of April 2011, the AI Pension Plan remained in Critical Status for the plan year beginning January 1, 2011. In conjunction with the AI Pension Plan’s Critical Status, the Board of Trustees of the AI Pension Plan adopted a Rehabilitation Plan that implements reductions or eliminations of certain adjustable benefits that were previously available under the AI Pension Plan (including some forms of early retirement benefits, and disability and death benefits, among other items), and also implements a requirement on all participating employers to increase employer contributions to the AI Pension Plan for a seven year period commencing in 2013. Under applicable federal law, any employer contributing to a multi-employer pension plan that completely ceases participating in the plan while the plan is underfunded is subject to payment of such employer’s assessed share of the aggregate unfunded vested benefits of the plan. In certain circumstances, an employer can be assessed withdrawal liability for a partial withdrawal from a multi-employer pension plan. In addition, if the financial condition of the AI Pension Plan were to continue to deteriorate to the point that the AI Pension Plan is forced to terminate and be administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “PBGC”), the participating employers could be subject to assessments by the PBGC to cover the participating employers’ assessed share of the unfunded vested benefits. If any of these adverse events were to occur in the future, it could result in a substantial withdrawal liability assessment that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

A change in historical experience and/or assumptions used to estimate reserves could have a material impact on our earnings.

As described in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Use of Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies,” management relies on estimates in various areas of accounting and financial reporting. For example, our estimates for finance, insurance and service contracts and insurance reserves are based on historical experience and assumptions. Differences between actual results and our historical experiences and/or our assumptions could have a material impact on our earnings in the period of the change and in periods subsequent to the change.

Our internal control over financial reporting may not be effective.

During the process of completing the audit of our financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2012, management became aware of the existence of a material weakness and significant deficiencies in the designs and operations of the internal control over financial reporting that could adversely affect our ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data consistent with our assertions in the financial statements. We may also identify additional material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in the future. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, including any failure to implement or difficulty in implementing required new or improved controls, our business and results of operations could be harmed, the results of operations we report could be subject to adjustments, we could incur further remediation costs, we could fail to be able to provide reasonable assurance as to our financial results or the effectiveness of our internal controls, or fail to meet our reporting obligations under SEC regulations and the terms of our debt agreements on a timely basis and there could be a material adverse effect on the price of our Class A common stock.

Impairment of our goodwill could have a material adverse impact on our earnings.

Pursuant to applicable accounting pronouncements, we evaluate goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. We describe the process for testing goodwill more thoroughly in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Use of Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies.” If we determine that the amount of our goodwill is impaired at any point in time, we are required to reduce goodwill on our balance sheet. If goodwill of our single reporting unit is impaired based on a future impairment test, we will be required to record a significant non-cash impairment

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charge that may also have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for the period in which the impairment of goodwill occurs. As of December 31, 2012, our balance sheet reflected a carrying amount of approximately $454.2 million in goodwill.

Item 1B:    Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2:    Properties.

Our principal executive offices are located at a property owned by us at 4401 Colwick Road, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28211, and our telephone number is (704) 566-2400.

Our dealerships are generally located along major U.S. or interstate highways. One of the principal factors we consider in evaluating an acquisition candidate is its location. We prefer to acquire dealerships or build dealership facilities located along major thoroughfares, which can be easily visited by prospective customers.

We lease the majority of the properties utilized by our dealership operations from affiliates of Capital Automotive REIT and other individuals and entities. Under the terms of our franchise and dealer agreements, each of our dealerships must maintain an appropriate appearance and design of its dealership facility and is restricted in its ability to relocate. The properties utilized by our dealership operations that are owned by us or one of our subsidiaries are pledged as security for our 2011 Credit Facilities or mortgage financing arrangements. We believe that our facilities are adequate for our current needs.

Item 3:    Legal Proceedings.

We are involved, and expect to continue to be involved, in numerous legal and administrative proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including regulatory investigations and private civil actions brought by plaintiffs purporting to represent a potential class or for which a class has been certified. Although we vigorously defend ourselves in all legal and administrative proceedings, the outcomes of pending and future proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including litigation with customers, employment related lawsuits, contractual disputes, class actions, purported class actions and actions brought by governmental authorities, cannot be predicted with certainty. Similarly, except as reflected in reserves we have provided for in other accrued liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets, we are currently unable to estimate a range of reasonably possible loss, or a range of reasonably possible loss in excess of the amount accrued, for pending proceedings. An unfavorable resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects. Included in other accrued liabilities at December 31, 2011 was approximately $7.3 million in reserves that we were holding for pending proceedings. As a result of a litigation settlement on October 2, 2012, we decreased the reserve balance for pending proceedings to approximately $3.4 million as of December 31, 2012. Except as reflected in such reserves, we are currently unable to estimate a range of reasonably possible loss, or a range of reasonably possible loss in excess of the amount accrued, for pending proceedings.

Not applicable.

PART II

Our Class A common stock is currently traded on the NYSE under the symbol “SAH.” Our Class B Common Stock is not traded on a public market.

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As of February 19, 2013, there were 40,982,054 shares of our Class A common stock and 12,029,375 shares of our Class B common stock outstanding. As of February 19, 2013, there were 89 record holders of the Class A common stock and three record holders of the Class B common stock. The closing stock price for the Class A common stock on February 19, 2013 was $23.82.

Our Board of Directors approved four quarterly cash dividends on all outstanding shares of common stock totaling $0.10 per share during each of the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011. In the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend on all outstanding shares of common stock of $0.025 per share. Subsequent to December 31, 2012, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend on all outstanding shares of common stock of $0.025 per share for stockholders of record on March 15, 2013 to be paid on April 15, 2013. The declaration and payment of any future dividend is subject to the business judgment of our Board of Directors, taking into consideration our historic and projected results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, capital requirements, covenant compliance, share repurchases, current economic environment and other factors considered by our direction to be relevant. These factors are considered each quarter and will be scrutinized as our Board of Directors determines our future dividend policy. There is no guarantee that additional dividends will be declared and paid at any time in the future. See Note 6, “Long-Term Debt,” to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources,” for additional discussion of dividends and for a description of restrictions on the payment of dividends.

The following table sets forth the high and low closing sales prices for our Class A common stock for each calendar quarter during the periods indicated as reported by the NYSE Composite Tape and the dividends declared during such periods.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table sets forth information about the shares of Class A Common Stock we repurchased during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012

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This selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We have accounted for all of our dealership acquisitions using the purchase method of accounting and, as a result, we do not include in our Consolidated Financial Statements the results of operations of these dealerships prior to the date we acquired them. Our selected consolidated financial data reflect the results of operations and financial positions of each of our dealerships acquired prior to December 31, 2012. As a result of the effects of our acquisitions and other potential factors in the future, the historical consolidated financial information described in selected consolidated financial data is not necessarily indicative of the results of our operations and financial position in the future or the results of operations and financial position that would have resulted had such acquisitions occurred at the beginning of the periods presented in the selected consolidated financial data.

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The following discussion and analysis of the results of operations and financial condition should be read in conjunction with the Sonic Automotive, Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The financial and statistical data contained in the following discussion for all periods presented reflects our December 31, 2012 classification of dealerships between continuing and discontinued operations in accordance with “Presentation of Financial Statements” in the Accounting Standards Codification (the “ASC”).

2012 Events

During the year ended December 31, 2012, we issued $200.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.0% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2022 (the “7.0% Notes”) and repurchased the remaining outstanding principal amount of the 5.0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029 (the “5.0% Convertible Notes”). See Note 6, “Long-Term Debt,” to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of the 7.0% Notes and 5.0% Convertible Notes. During the year ended December 31, 2012, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $19.7 million related to the 5.0% Convertible Notes, recorded in other income (expense), net, in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income.

As a result of these refinancing and repurchase activities, other than principal payments due on mortgage notes and certain term notes, we do not have another significant non-floor plan debt maturity until the 2016 maturity of our 2011 Credit Facilities and the 2018 maturity of the aggregate principal amount outstanding of our 9.0% Notes.

Overview

We are one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States. As of December 31, 2012, we operated 111 dealerships in 14 states (representing 25 different brands of cars and light trucks) and 21 collision repair centers. For management and operational reporting purposes, we group certain dealerships together that share management and inventory (principally used vehicles) into “stores.” As of December 31, 2012, we operated 100 stores. As a result of the way we manage our business, we have a single operating segment for purposes of reporting financial condition and results of operations.

Our dealerships provide comprehensive services including sales of both new and used cars and light trucks, sales of replacement parts, performance of vehicle maintenance, manufacturer warranty repairs, paint and collision repair services, and arrangement of extended service contracts, financing, insurance and other aftermarket products for our customers. Although vehicle sales and sales of associated finance, insurance and other aftermarket products are cyclical and are affected by many factors, including overall economic conditions, consumer confidence, levels of discretionary personal income, interest rates and available credit, our parts, service and collision repair services are not closely tied to vehicle sales and are not as dependent upon near-term sales volume.

The automobile industry’s total amount of new vehicles sold in 2012 increased by 13.3%, to 14.5 million vehicles, from 12.8 million vehicles in 2011, according to Bloomberg Financial Markets, via Stephens Inc. From an industry perspective, new vehicle unit sales on a year-over-year basis increased 18.3% for import brands and 7.8% for domestic brands. For 2013, the average industry expectations for new vehicle unit sales volume are between 15.0 million and 15.5 million vehicles, an increase of 3.4% to 6.9% from the industry volume in 2012. Changes in consumer confidence, availability of consumer financing or changes in the financial stability of the automotive manufacturers could cause 2013 new vehicle industry results to vary. Many factors such as brand and geographic concentrations have caused our past results to differ from the industry’s overall trend.

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Use of Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Critical accounting policies are those that are both most important to the portrayal of our financial position and results of operations and require the most subjective and complex judgments. The following is a discussion of what we believe are our critical accounting policies and estimates. See Note 1, “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion regarding our accounting policies.

Finance, Insurance and Service Contracts

We arrange financing for customers through various financial institutions and receive a commission from the lender either in a flat fee amount or in an amount equal to the difference between the actual interest rates charged to customers and the predetermined base rates set by the financing institution. We also receive commissions from the sale of various insurance contracts and non-recourse third party extended service contracts to customers. Under these contracts, the applicable manufacturer or third party warranty company is directly liable for all warranties provided within the contract.

In the event a customer terminates a financing, insurance or extended service contract prior to the original termination date, we may be required to return a portion of the commission revenue originally recorded to the third party provider (“chargebacks”). The commission revenue for the sale of these products and services is recorded net of estimated chargebacks at the time of sale. Our estimate of future chargebacks is established based on our historical chargeback rates, termination provisions of the applicable contracts and industry data. While chargeback rates vary depending on the type of contract sold, a 100 basis point change in the estimated chargeback rates used in determining our estimates of future chargebacks would have changed our estimated reserve for chargebacks at December 31, 2012 by approximately $1.2 million. Our estimate of chargebacks (approximately $13.2 million as of December 31, 2012) is influenced by early contract termination events such as vehicle repossessions, refinancings and early pay-offs. If these factors negatively change, the resulting impact would affect our future estimate for chargebacks and could have a material adverse impact on our operations, financial position and cash flows. Our actual chargeback experience has not been materially different from our recorded estimates.

Goodwill and Franchise Assets

In accordance with “Intangibles — Goodwill and Other,” in the ASC, we test goodwill for impairment at least annually, or more frequently when events or circumstances indicate that impairment might have occurred. The ASC also states that if an entity determines, based on an assessment of certain qualitative factors, that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then the first and second steps of the goodwill impairment test are unnecessary. Even though the ASC allows companies to assess qualitative factors to determine whether goodwill is impaired, we believe that it is prudent to conduct a quantitative step one assessment at least every three years, or as circumstances require. Therefore, since our last quantitative assessment was performed as of December 31, 2009, we elected to perform a quantitative step one assessment as of December 31, 2012.

We utilized a Discounted Cash Flows (“DCF”) model to estimate Sonic’s enterprise value. The significant assumptions in our DCF model include projected earnings, weighted average cost of capital (and estimates in the weighted average cost of capital inputs) and residual growth rates. To the extent the reporting unit’s earnings decline significantly or there are changes in one or more of these assumptions that would result in lower

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valuation results, it could cause the carrying value of the reporting unit to exceed its fair value and thus require us to conduct the second step of the impairment test described above. In projecting our reporting unit’s earnings, we develop many assumptions which include, but are not limited to, new and used vehicle unit sales, internal revenue enhancement initiatives, cost control initiatives, internal investment programs such as training and technology, infrastructure and inventory floor plan borrowing rates. Our expectation of new vehicle unit sales is in part driven by our expectation of the new vehicle seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales (“SAAR”). The estimate of the industry SAAR in future periods is the basis of our assumptions related to new vehicle unit sales volumes in our DCF model because we believe the historic and projected SAAR level of the SAAR is the best indicator of growth or contraction in the retail automotive industry. The level of SAAR assumed in our projection of earnings for 2013 was approximately 15.0 million units with moderate increases over the next few years.

Our DCF model estimated a fair value of more than $1.0 billion in excess of carrying value as of December 31, 2012. Our DCF model is dependent on the assumptions used and is sensitive to changes in those assumptions. In order to determine the effects of changes in our assumptions on our DCF model, and consequently our goodwill valuation, we ran multiple scenarios adjusting our earnings before interest and taxes (“EBIT”) growth factors, weighted average cost of capital, and cost synergy assumptions. In the event the weighted average cost of capital increased by 100 basis points, assuming all other factors remain the same, the calculated fair value estimate as of December 31, 2012 would change by approximately $244.3 million. Although we assumed a 2.0% EBIT growth factor in our model, in the event EBIT is flat, assuming all other factors remain the same, the calculated fair value estimate as of December 31, 2012 would change by approximately $472.4 million. In the event EBIT is flat and no cost synergies are realized, assuming all other factors remain the same, the calculated fair value estimate as of December 31, 2012 would change by approximately $940.5 million. Based on our DCF model, none of the scenarios tested, if realized, would have resulted in lowering the fair value of the reporting unit below the reporting unit’s carrying value. Based on the results of our step one test as of December 31, 2012, Sonic’s fair value exceeds its carrying value. As such, we were not required to complete step two of the impairment evaluation according to “Intangibles — Goodwill and Other,” in the ASC. See Note 1, “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion. The balance of our goodwill totaled approximately $454.2 million at December 31, 2012.

In accordance with “Intangibles — Goodwill and Other,” in the ASC, we evaluate franchise assets for impairment annually or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist. We estimate the value of our franchise assets using a discounted cash flow model. The discounted cash flow model used contains inherent uncertainties. We are subject to financial risk to the extent that our franchise assets become impaired due to deterioration of the underlying businesses. The risk of a franchise asset impairment loss may increase to the extent the underlying businesses’ earnings or projected earnings decline. As a result of our impairment testing for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, no franchise asset impairments were required. The balance of our franchise assets totaled approximately $60.6 million at December 31, 2012.

Insurance Reserves

We have various high deductible retention and insurance policies that require us to make estimates in determining the ultimate liability we may incur for claims arising under these policies. We accrue for insurance reserves throughout the year based on current information available. As of December 31, 2012, we estimate the ultimate liability under these programs is between $22.2 million and $24.5 million, and had approximately $23.4 million reserved for such programs. Changes in significant assumptions used in the development of the ultimate liability for these programs could have a material impact on the level of reserves, our operating results, financial position and cash flows. These significant assumptions would include the volume of claims, medical cost trends, claims handling and reporting patterns, historical claims experience, the effect of related court rulings and current or projected changes in state laws. From a sensitivity analysis perspective, it is difficult to quantify the effect of changes in any of these significant assumptions with the exception of the volume of claims. We

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believe a 10% change in the volume of claims would have a proportional effect on our reserves. Our actual loss experience has not been materially different from our recorded estimates.

Lease Exit Accruals

The majority of our dealership properties are leased under long-term operating lease arrangements. When leased properties are no longer utilized in operations, we record lease exit accruals. These situations could include the relocation of an existing facility or the sale of a dealership where the buyer will not be subleasing the property for either the remaining term of the lease or for an amount equal to our obligation under the lease, or in situations where a store is closed as a result of the associated franchise being terminated by the manufacturer and no other operations continue on the leased property. The lease exit accruals represent the present value of the lease payments, net of estimated sublease rentals, for the remaining life of the operating leases and other accruals necessary to satisfy lease commitments to the landlords. As of December 31, 2012, we had $33.0 million accrued for lease exit costs. A significant change in our assumptions regarding the time period necessary to obtain a subtenant or the amount of the anticipated sublease income could have a material effect on our accrual and, as a result, earnings. For example, assuming all other factors remain the same, a 50% decrease in our estimated proceeds from subleases would change our lease exit accruals by approximately $0.7 million. In addition, based on the terms and conditions negotiated in the sale of dealerships in the future, additional accruals may be necessary if the purchaser of the dealership does not assume any associated lease, or we are unable to negotiate a sublease with the buyer of the dealership on terms that are identical to or better than those associated with the original lease.

Legal Proceedings

We are involved, and expect to continue to be involved, in numerous legal proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including litigation with customers, employment related lawsuits, contractual disputes and actions brought by governmental authorities. As of December 31, 2012, we had accrued approximately $3.4 million in legal reserves. Although we vigorously defend ourselves in all legal and administrative proceedings, the outcomes of pending and future proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including litigation with customers, employment related lawsuits, contractual disputes, class actions, purported class actions and actions brought by governmental authorities, cannot be predicted with certainty. An unfavorable resolution of one or more of these matters that are significant could exceed the amount of our legal reserve and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects.

Classification of Dealerships in Continuing and Discontinued Operations

We classify the results from operations of our continuing and discontinued operations in our Consolidated Statements of Income based on the provisions of “Presentation of Financial Statements” in the ASC. Many of these provisions involve judgment in determining whether a dealership will be reported as continuing or discontinued operations. Such judgments include whether a dealership will be sold or terminated, the period required to complete the disposition and the likelihood of changes to a plan for sale. If in future periods we determine that a dealership should be either reclassified from continuing operations to discontinued operations or from discontinued operations to continuing operations, previously reported Consolidated Statements of Income will be reclassified in order to reflect that classification. At December 31, 2012, there were no dealerships classified as held for sale.

Income Taxes

As a matter of course, we are regularly audited by various taxing authorities and from time to time these audits result in proposed assessments where the ultimate resolution may result in us owing additional taxes. We believe that our tax positions comply, in all material respects, with applicable tax law and that we have provided for any reasonably foreseeable outcome related to these matters. From time to time, we engage in transactions in

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which the tax consequences may be subject to uncertainty. Examples of such transactions include business acquisitions and disposals, including consideration paid or received in connection with such transactions. Significant judgment is required in assessing and estimating the tax consequences of these transactions. We determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. In evaluating whether a tax position has met the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, we presume that the position will be examined by the appropriate taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. A tax position that does not meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is measured to determine the amount of benefit to be recognized in the financial statements. The tax position is measured at the largest amount of benefit that is likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. We adjust our estimates periodically because of ongoing examinations by and settlements with the various taxing authorities, as well as changes in tax laws, regulations and precedent.

At December 31, 2012, there was approximately $11.5 million in reserves that we have provided for these matters (including estimates related to possible interest and penalties) included in accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The effects on our financial statements of income tax uncertainties are discussed in Note 7, “Income Taxes,” to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.

We periodically review all deferred tax asset positions (including state net operating loss carryforwards) to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the deferred tax assets will be realized. Certain factors considered in evaluating the potential for realization of deferred tax assets include the time remaining until expiration (related to state net operating loss carryforwards) and various sources of taxable income that may be available under the tax law to realize a tax benefit related to a deferred tax asset. This evaluation requires management to make certain assumptions about future profitability, the execution of tax strategies that may be available to us and the likelihood that these assumptions or execution of tax strategies would occur. This evaluation is highly judgmental. The results of future operations, regulatory framework of these taxing authorities and other related matters cannot be predicted with certainty. Therefore, actual realization of these deferred tax assets may be materially different from management’s estimate.

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, we had a valuation allowance recorded totaling $6.3 million and $10.8 million, respectively, related to certain state net operating loss carryforwards because we concluded it was likely that we would not be able to generate sufficient state taxable income in the related entities to realize the accumulated net operating loss carryforward balances. During the year ended December 31, 2012, Sonic lowered the recorded valuation allowance amount related to its deferred tax asset balances by approximately $4.5 million related to the settlement of a state tax examination and certain tax planning that will allow Sonic to realize certain state net operating loss carryforwards. During the year ended December 31, 2010, we reduced the recorded valuation allowance amount by approximately $51.0 million. This change was the result of the use of certain state net operating loss carryforwards as well as a change in estimate that we would be able to ultimately realize the benefits of recorded deferred tax balances. This change in estimate was primarily driven by the improvement experienced in our operating results, the overall improvement of the automotive retailing industry and the expectation that our results and those of the automotive retailing industry would continue to improve in the future.

We accrue for income taxes on a pro-rata basis throughout the year based on the expected year-end liability. These estimates, judgments and assumptions are updated quarterly by our management based on available information and take into consideration estimated income taxes based on prior year income tax returns, changes in income tax law, our income tax strategies and other factors. If our management receives information which causes us to change our estimate of the year end liability, the amount of expense or expense reduction required to be recorded in any particular quarter could be material to our operating results, financial position and cash flows.

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting standard update the amends the accounting guidance on testing indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment. The amendments in this accounting standard update are intended to reduce complexity and costs by allowing an entity the option to make a qualitative evaluation about the likelihood that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired to determine whether it should perform a quantitative impairment test. The amendments also enhance the consistency of impairment testing guidance among long-lived asset categories by permitting an entity to assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to calculate the asset’s fair value when testing an indefinite-lived intangible asset for impairment, which is similar to the impairment testing requirements for other long-lived assets. The amendments in this accounting standard update are effective for interim and annual impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. We test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually during the fourth quarter or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. We do not expect this accounting standard update to have a material effect on our impairment test or disclosures.

Results of Operations

The following table summarizes the percentages of total revenues represented by certain items reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Income:

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During the year ended December 31, 2012, we terminated or disposed of ten dealerships and, at December 31, 2012, had no dealerships held for sale. We did not dispose of any dealerships during the year ended December 31, 2011, and disposed of seven dealerships during the year ended December 31, 2010. The results of operations of these dealerships, including gains or losses on disposition, are included in discontinued operations on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income for all periods presented.

The following discussions are based on reported figures. Same store amounts do not vary significantly from reported totals since there were no significant dealership acquisitions in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

New Vehicles

New vehicle revenues include the sale of new vehicles to retail customers, as well as the sale of fleet vehicles. New vehicle revenues can be influenced by on manufacturer incentives for consumers, which vary from cash-back incentives to low interest rate financing. New vehicle revenues are also dependent on manufacturers providing adequate vehicle allocations to our dealerships to meet customer demands and the availability of consumer credit.

The automobile manufacturing industry is cyclical and historically has experienced periodic downturns characterized by oversupply and weak demand. As an automotive retailer, we seek to mitigate the effects of this cyclicality by maintaining a diverse brand mix of dealerships. Our brand diversity allows us to offer a broad range of products at a wide range of prices from lower priced, or economy vehicles, to luxury vehicles. For the year ended December 31, 2012, 85.5% of our total new vehicle revenue was generated by mid-line import and luxury dealerships, compared to 83.3% and 84.7% for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The automobile retail industry uses the SAAR to measure the amount of new vehicle unit sales activity within the United States market. The SAAR averages below reflect a blended average of all brands marketed or sold in the United States market. The SAAR includes brands we do not sell and markets in which we do not operate.

Source: Bloomberg Financial Markets, via Stephens Inc.

According to public sources, average industry volume expectations for the year ending December 31, 2013 are currently between 15.0 million and 15.5 million vehicles, which would be an increase of 3.4% to 6.9% from the industry volume for the year ended December 31, 2012. Following is information related to our new vehicle sales:

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The increase in new vehicle revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012 was primarily driven by a 14.9% increase in our new unit sales volume compared to the prior year, which outpaced the industry new unit sales volume increase of 13.3% compared to the prior year. Excluding fleet volume, our retail new vehicle volume growth increased 18.5% during the year ended December 31, 2012.

Our new unit volume increase for the year ended December 31, 2012 was led by our Honda and Toyota/Scion dealerships, which combined to account for 72.8% of the year-over-year increase. Our major Japanese brands (Honda, Toyota/Scion and Lexus) suffered in the year ended December 31, 2011 as a result of inventory supply reductions caused by the impact of the earthquake, tsunami and severe flooding that struck Japan in March 2011. As production returned to normal levels in 2012, we saw these brands make significant contributions to our new unit sales growth. Gross profit per new unit decreased 7.3% during the year ended December 31, 2012, primarily due to declines in gross profit per new unit at our Honda and Toyota/Scion dealerships. Our Honda and Toyota/Scion dealerships experienced high gross profit per unit during the year ended December 31, 2011 due to lack of available inventory as a result of the natural disasters in Japan during 2011. As new vehicle inventory in these brands returned to normal levels in early 2012, gross profit per unit also returned to normal levels, resulting in the decrease in our gross profit per new unit during the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the prior year.

Total gross profit dollars increased 6.5% during the year ended December 31, 2012, in spite of the decline in gross profit per new unit, as a result of increased new unit sales volume. In addition, this incremental unit sales volume contributed to additional F&I gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2012, discussed under the heading “Finance, Insurance and Other (“F&I”)” below.

Our luxury dealerships (which include Cadillac) experienced a 13.0% increase in new vehicle revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the prior year, primarily due to an 11.1% increase in new unit sales volume. New vehicle gross profit increased 8.4% compared to the prior year, primarily due to new unit sales volume increases at our BMW, Lexus and Audi dealerships. Luxury gross profit per new unit decreased 2.4% overall during the year ended December 31, 2012, driven primarily by decreases in gross profit per new unit at our Audi and Lexus dealerships.

Our mid-line import dealerships experienced a 27.8% increase in new vehicle revenue during the year ended December 31, 2012, primarily due to a 27.6% increase in new unit volume. New vehicle inventory availability for our major Japanese brands (Honda and Toyota) has recovered from the effects of inventory supply reductions caused by the natural disasters in Japan during 2011, which was a primary contributor to the unit sales volume increases in 2012 discussed above. Mid-line import gross profit per new unit decreased 15.9% during the year ended December 31, 2012, however, as a result of increased new unit sales volume, total mid-line import new vehicle gross profit increased 7.3% for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the prior year.

Excluding fleet sales, our domestic dealerships experienced a 10.5% increase in new retail vehicle revenue, a 9.8% increase in new retail vehicle gross profit and a 7.8% increase in new retail unit sales volume during the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the prior year. New retail unit sales volume at our Ford dealerships increased 14.5%, driving a 17.9% increase in new retail vehicle revenue and an 11.2% increase in new retail vehicle gross profit. Our GM dealerships (excluding Cadillac) experienced a 1.3% increase in new retail unit

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sales volume, resulting in a 3.3% increase in new retail vehicle revenue and an 8.3% increase in new retail vehicle gross profit, primarily due to a 7.0% increase in gross profit per new retail unit. Including fleet sales, our domestic dealerships experienced a 0.4% increase in new vehicle revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012 despite a 5.6% decrease in new unit sales volume. Total fleet unit sales volume decreased 30.3% compared to the prior year, with a 10.7% increase in price per unit, resulting in a decrease in total fleet revenue of 22.9%.

The increase in new vehicle revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011 was primarily driven by a 14.0% increase in our new unit sales volume. Our new unit volume increase for the year ended December 31, 2011 was led by our BMW, Ford and General Motors (excluding Cadillac) dealerships, which combined to account for 51.0% of the increase compared to the prior year.

Our luxury dealerships’ (including Cadillac) new vehicle revenue increased 14.9% primarily due to 14.3% higher new unit sales volume for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to the prior year. New vehicle gross profit increased 14.5% due to higher unit sales volume, compared to the year ended December 31, 2010. The increase in gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2011 was led by our BMW and Audi dealerships, which combined to account for a 74.8% increase in gross profit compared to the prior year.

For the year ended December 31, 2011, our mid-line import dealerships experienced a 9.4% increase in new unit sales volume and a 3.9% increase in average selling price, resulting in a 13.6% increase in new vehicle revenue compared to the prior year. These improvements were led by our Volkswagen and Hyundai dealerships, which increased their new unit sales volume by 45.4% and 34.3%, respectively, compared to the year ended December 31, 2010. New vehicle sales at our Honda and Toyota dealerships were significantly affected by inventory shortages as a result of the natural disasters in Japan discussed above.

Excluding fleet sales, our domestic dealerships experienced a 34.1% increase in new retail vehicle revenue, an 11.9% increase in new retail vehicle gross profit and a 33.7% increase in new retail unit sales volume during the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to the prior year. New retail unit sales volume at our Ford dealerships increased 31.0%, driving a 31.5% increase in new retail vehicle revenue and an 18.6% increase in new retail vehicle gross profit. Our General Motors dealerships (excluding Cadillac) experienced a 36.5% increase in new retail unit sales volume, resulting in a 36.7% increase in new retail vehicle revenue and a 5.8% increase in new retail vehicle gross profit. Despite a decrease in domestic gross profit per new unit of 16.4%, during the year ended December 31, 2011, domestic new vehicle gross profit overall increased 11.9% compared to the prior year. Including fleet sales, our domestic dealerships experienced a 27.0% increase in new vehicle revenue in the year ended December 31, 2011 driven by a 24.9% increase in new unit sales volume. Total fleet unit sales volume increased by only 2.9% compared to the prior year, with a 4.1% increase in price per unit, resulting in an increase in total fleet revenue of 7.1%.

Used Vehicles

Used vehicle revenues are directly affected by a number of factors including the level of manufacturer incentives on new vehicles, the number and quality of trade-ins and lease turn-ins, the availability and pricing of used vehicles acquired at auction and the availability of consumer credit. Following is information related to our used vehicle sales:

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For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, our used vehicle unit volume increased compared to the respective prior years, primarily due to the continued implementation of our standardized used vehicle merchandising process. We believe this process allows us to purchase and price our used vehicles more competitively and market them more effectively than our competition, resulting in higher unit sales volume, overall revenue and overall gross profit levels. Although we experienced declines in our gross profit per unit in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, the incremental unit sales volume contributed to higher gross profit experienced in our F&I and parts, service and collision repair (“Fixed Operations”) areas.

The decrease in gross profit per unit for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, were due in part to the higher cost of units sold compared to the prior year and our continued effort to drive used volume at our dealerships by pricing our vehicles effectively. Costs were higher as a result of acquiring more used vehicle inventory through auctions than through trades and increased competition for obtaining quality used vehicle inventory in the second half of 2011 due in part to new vehicle inventory shortages as a result of the natural disasters in Asia. Despite lower overall gross profit per unit, we believe we were able to drive overall gross profit dollars higher through additional used volume, F&I product sales and the effects of higher volume on our Fixed Operations through reconditioning activity.

Wholesale Vehicles

Wholesale vehicle revenues are highly correlated with new and used vehicle retail sales and the associated trade-in volume. Wholesale revenues are also significantly affected by our corporate inventory management policies, which are designed to optimize our total used vehicle inventory. Following is information related to wholesale vehicle sales: