U.S. Dealer Count Remains Steady as Sales Per Outlet Soar

Passenger vehicle sales in the U.S. have jumped climbed 34% to 15.6 million units since 2010. But the number of dealers selling them over that period has remained virtually unchanged at 17,800, according to Detroit-based Urban Science Inc.

The retail market analytics firm says average sales per dealership zoomed to a record high 874 last year. Urban Science expects this year's American car market to reach 16.2 million.

The firm also predicts very little expansion to the dealer count in 2014, which would push average sales per dealership to 914. It forecasts little change in the size of the dealer network for at least three years.