U.S. Car Dealer Franchise Network Stable

According to a press release released today by Urban Sciences, car dealerships are on the rise for the first time in 10 years.

According to data out of Detroit, the number of new car dealerships as December 31, 2011 was 17,767. This number represents a 0.6 percent increase from the 17,659 dealerships in 2010. It’s the first increase in 10 years. According to Urban Science, the company that released the dealership numbers, there is a 2 percent decline in U.S. new car dealerships in a typical year, highlighting the significance of the 2011 increase. Two of the biggest winners were Fiat, which added 135 new dealerships, and Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep, which added 50 new dealerships.

As for increases in new car dealerships in individual states, the biggest winners were California (31), New Jersey (10), Ohio (9), Florida (9), Texas (8), Virginia (7), North Carolina (7), and Pennsylvania (6).