Even if achieved, the forecast throughput of 910 would still be among the lower marks of the last decade. From 2014 through 2019, annual throughput came in 921 vehicles or higher.
Urban Science also said Wednesday that the number of U.S. new-vehicle dealerships also increased, albeit slightly, in the first half of 2021. The count rose to 18,203 new-vehicle dealerships as of July 1, an increase of 46 stores from Jan. 1.
“It’s a minor increase, given that there is that many rooftops,” said Mitch Phillips, global director of data at Urban Science. “… It’s virtually no net change. So it’s stable.”
The increase comes after the number of new-vehicle dealerships declined in 2020 and 2019. The 2019 decrease was the first drop in six years.
California saw the biggest expansion in dealership count between Jan.1 and July 1 with 24 additional stores. It was the most active period for the most populous state in the U.S. since 2015, a year in which it added 16 dealerships, according to Urban Science. California lost seven dealerships in 2020.
California’s growth during the first six months of 2021 was also significantly higher than the two states that were next biggest gainers: Texas, which added eight dealerships, and New York, which added five.
“For about two years, we’ve noticed that California was flat, if not losing a couple dealerships,” said Phillips. The first-half increase in the dealership count in that state “could be pent up demand.”
Tennessee had the largest decrease in dealerships for the six-month period with four fewer, while Illinois and Kansas were down two stores each.
