Not even another strong performance in U.S. new-vehicle margins, a record quarter in the group's U.K. market, and a profitable quarter in Brazil were enough to offset "extreme weakness" in Group 1's energy price-impacted markets.
For the year, the nation’s third largest dealer group grew its U.S. F&I per-copy average by $129 from the prior year to $1,644. Company officials, however, tell investors and equity research analysts ‘not to model anything higher.’
Margin over volume was the message coming out of Group 1 Automotive during its third-quarter earnings call. The dealer group reported that a sharp decline in unit sales offset improved new-vehicle margins, as well as gains in F&I and parts and service.
The dealer group's U.S. F&I operations increased its per-copy average by $26 to a record $1,564. Including operations in the United Kingdom and Brazil, the group's consolidated average increased 0.7% to $1,385.
Group 1 Automotive's U.S. F&I operations realized a 4% increase in F&I profit per retail unit, with the group's per-copy average settling in at $1,525 in 2015's end-of-year quarter.
While the international dealer group's consolidated per-copy average grew $27 to $1,352 in the third quarter, it's U.S.-based F&I operations saw its per-copy average rise $65 to $1,515. For the first nine months of 2015, the group's per-copy average is $1,529.
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