Comparisons and Contrasts

How do dealerships on the Ward's 500 compare with other dealerships in the industry?

The numbers show that the big keep getting bigger.

According to the National Automobile Dealers Assn., overall dealerships averaged $32.3 million in total sales in 2005. That is down 2.1% from 2004.

In contrast, the average revenue for the Ward's Dealer 500 stores is $125.1 million, up from $119.4 million the year before.

Much of the difference is in the new- and used-car departments. While new-vehicle revenue for the entire industry is $19.4 million, the Ward's 500 average is nearly $81 million.

In used-car departments, Ward's 500 averaged $24.3 million, compared to a $9 million industry average.